Daijiworld Media Network - Tokyo
Tokyo, July 14: India's campaign at the Japan Open began on a mixed note as two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced comfortably to the women's singles second round, while the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were forced to retire from their opening match after Satwik's shoulder injury resurfaced.
Making their first appearance since withdrawing from the Indonesia Open in June, the world No. 4 pair faced Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard. After narrowly losing the opening game 19-21, the Indians decided to pull out of the match as Satwik experienced renewed discomfort in his shoulder, preventing them from continuing.
The injury setback has also ruled the duo out of next week's China Open, with their focus now shifting to regaining full fitness ahead of the BWF World Championships, which will be held in India next month.
Satwik and Chirag had recently ended a two-year wait for a BWF World Tour title by winning the Singapore Open in May. However, Satwik aggravated the same shoulder injury during the opening round of the Indonesia Open, disrupting their season once again.
Sindhu provided India with a strong start in the singles competition, defeating Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching 21-14, 21-11 in a one-sided contest that lasted just 35 minutes.
The world No. 10 remained in complete control throughout the match, combining powerful attacking strokes with precise net play to dominate both games. After taking charge midway through the opening game, Sindhu surged to an 11-3 lead in the second and comfortably sealed victory without allowing her opponent any opportunity to recover.
The win also improved Sindhu's head-to-head record against Wong to 3-0 and secured her place in the second round of the BWF Super 750 tournament.
India also celebrated success in the mixed doubles event, where Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto defeated Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson 21-16, 21-14 to move into the next round.
However, there was disappointment for Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, who exited the tournament after a straight-game 11-21, 10-21 loss to top-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.
India's challenge will continue on Wednesday with Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda beginning their singles campaigns. In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun are scheduled to face Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the opening round.