Page 3 - Badminton

Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag exit Japan Open, India's campaign ends

Indian shuttlers continued to falter at the Japan Open with Lakshya Sen and the star men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowing out in the second round to draw curtains on the country's campaign at the Super 750 tournament here on Thursday. World No. 18 Lakshya's inconsistent run resulted in a 19-21, 11-21 loss to Japan's Kodai Naraoka in the men's singles that lasted close to an hour. The 23-year-old, who had looked promising in the opener with a commanding 21-11, 21-18 win over China's Wang Zheng Xing, failed to carry the momentum forward. In the men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag were handed a 22-24, 14-21 defeat by the fifth-seeded Chinese combine of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in a battle between former world No. 1 pairs. With this win, Paris Olympics silver medallists Wei Keng and Wang Chang extended their head-to-head lead over the Indians to 7-2. After a slow start, the Indian pair did well to take an 18-14 lead but couldn't hold on to the moment

Japan Open 2025: Satwik-Chirag knocked out in 2nd round of men's doubles

India's top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the Japan Super 750 tournament after losing to Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China in the second round here on Thursday. In a clash of former world number one pairs, the Indians went down 22-24, 14-21 in a 44-minute contest against the fifth-seeded Chinese duo. With this result, Paris Olympics silver medallists Wei Keng and Wang Chang extended their head-to-head record against the Indians to 7-2. After a sluggish start, Satwik and Chirag found their rhythm to lead 18-14 in the first game, but couldn't sustain the momentum as the Chinese fought back to snatch a thrilling opener. The second game followed a similar pattern, with the world number six pair continuing their dominance. The Indians faltered in both attack and defence, slumping to their fourth consecutive defeat against Wei Keng and Wang Chang.

Sindhu knocked out in Japan Open; Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya, Anupama move on

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu endured yet another first-round exit but Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty moved into the second round with comfortable victories at the Japan Open here on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Sindhu, who is a former world champion, went down 15-21 14-21 to Korea's Sim Yu Jin in the Super 750 tournament, marking her fifth first-round exit this year. Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya, on the other hand, registered dominant straight-game wins. After a slow start, Sindhu, who appeared rusty and error-prone and struggled with judgment of length, showed some fight in the first game but Sim regained control to claim her first career win over the Indian star. In the second, Sindhu quickly fell behind 1-6. Though she managed to level the score at 11-11, the Korean pulled away with ease to seal the match in straight games. In men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag, currently ranked 15th in the world, defeated the Korean duo of

Sindhu bows out of Japan Open; Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya move to second round

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu endured yet another first-round exit but Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty moved into the second round with comfortable victories at the Japan Open here on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Sindhu, who is a former world champion, went down 15-21, 14-21 to Korea's Sim Yu Jin in the Super 750 tournament, marking her fifth first-round exit this year. Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya, on the other hand, registered dominant straight-game wins. After a slow start, Sindhu, who appeared rusty and error-prone and struggled with judgment of length, showed some fight in the first game but Sim regained control to claim her first career win over the Indian star. In the second, Sindhu quickly fell behind 1-6. Though she managed to level the score at 11-11, the Korean pulled away with ease to seal the match in straight games. In men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag, currently ranked 15th in the world, defeated the Korean duo of

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Satwik-Chirag aim Japan Open crown as Sindhu, Lakshya hunt form revival

The Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will look to extend their consistent run and end their title drought when they spearhead the country's challenge at the Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament beginning here on Tuesday. Currently ranked world No. 15, Satwik and Chirag have reached three semifinals this season, besides making the quarterfinals at the Indonesia Open last month. After semifinal finishes at the Malaysia and India Open in January, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champions missed several weeks due to Satwik's health issues and Chirag's lingering back injury. Returning to full fitness, they made a semifinal appearance at the Singapore Open and reached the quarterfinals in Indonesia. The former world No. 1 duo will open their campaign against Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju. In singles, Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will hope to rediscover form at the USD 950,000 event. Lakshya has struggled this season with multiple first-round exits, his best s

Singapore Open: Satwik-Chirag reach quarters, Prannoy and Sindhu bow out

The Indian men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty entered the quarterfinals, while former world champion PV Sindhu suffered an early exit in the Singapore Open badminton tournament here on Thursday. Satwiksairaj and Chirag rallied to beat seventh-seeded Indonesian pair of Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 19-21 21-16 21-19 in a gruelling contest that lasted one hour and 14 minutes. They will face the second seeded Malaysian team of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in the next round. It was a commendable performance by the Indian duo, which is making a comeback after battling fitness issues for the past few weeks. Double Olympic medalist Sindhu went down to world No. 5 Chen Yufei of China 9-21, 21-18, 16-21 in 65 minutes in a hard-fought second-round match. Sindhu, who recently slipped to world No. 17, showed glimpses of her old form, especially in the second game where she led 19-12 before closing it out 21-18. However, the decider saw her .

Winning return for Satwik-Chirag in Singapore; Lakshya retires mid-game

India's top men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a winning return, while there was heartbreak for Lakshya Sen, who was forced to retire midway through his opening round clash at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Wednesday. Back on court for the first time since their withdrawal from the All England Open in March due to Chirag's back injury, the former world No.1 displayed no signs of rust as they beat Malaysia's Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal 21-16, 21-13 in just under 40 minutes in the round of 32. It was Satwik and Chirag's second win over the 41st-ranked Malaysian pair. The Indians are currently ranked 27th in the world. The pair had also missed the Sudirman Cup earlier this month, with Satwik battling health concerns. Prior to that, they had made semifinal appearances at both the Malaysia Open and India Open this season. India's no 1 singles player Sen was forced to retire hurt during his opening-round clash against L

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Kashyap defends Gopichand over 'middle class family struggle' comment

Former Commonwealth Games badminton champion Parupalli Kashyap has expressed strong support for Pullela Gopichand's recent comments on the challenges faced by middle-class families, emphasising that his coach's remarks accurately reflect the harsh realities of India's sporting ecosystem. Kashyap pointed out that the lack of a safety net for athletes, who don't reach the top, is a significant issue and described Gopichand's call for caution as "pragmatic, not pessimistic. "Gopi sir's recent remarks about the challenges middle-class families face in pursuing sports as a career resonate deeply with the realities of India's sporting ecosystem," the 2014 CWG champion posted in X'. "He's absolutely right to highlight the lack of a safety net for athletes who don't reach the top. In a country where success in sports outside of cricket rarely guarantees financial security or societal respect, his call for caution is pragmatic, not pessimistic. "The middle class, often tethered to the ...

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India's challenge grows at Badminton Asia Mixed Team after Sindhu ruled out

Without the services of an injured PV Sindhu, India will face an uphill task in pursuit of an elusive gold medal at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships which gets underway here on Tuesday. India hope to improve on their bronze medal finish from the previous edition where Sindhu played a key role in Dubai two years ago. Her absence this year due to an injury will be a significant setback as the team embarks on its campaign in the prestigious biennial event. Sindhu sustained a hamstring injury during a pre-tournament training camp in Guwahati on February 4, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament at the last minute. Her unavailability puts the onus on world No 29 Malvika Bansod to step up in women's singles. Placed in Group D, India will open their campaign against Macau on Wednesday, followed by a clash with a strong Korean outfit on Thursday. A top-two finish in the group will secure a spot in the quarterfinals, and while India is likely to progress to the last eight, ..

PV Sindhu withdraws from BAMTC 2025 after suffering from hamstring injury

Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu has pulled out of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in China due to a hamstring issue, dealing a huge blow to the country's chances of improving the colour of their medal in the prestigious edition. The tournament is set to be played in Qingdao from February 11-16 with the Indian shuttlers currently undergoing training at a camp in Guwahati. Besides Sindhu, the other leading players in the camp are Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy, along with the formidable doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Sindhu was a part of the squad that won bronze in the previous edition of the tournament. "It is with a heavy heart that I share I won't be travelling with the team for BAMTC 2025. While training on the 4th (February) in Guwahati, I felt a twinge in my hamstring. Despite my efforts to push through with heavy taping for our country, an MRI has revealed that my recovery will take slightly longer than I initially expected,"

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Lakshya's struggles lead to exit, Prannoy's game halted by roof leak

An inconsistent Lakshya Sen faltered in his opening match, while HS Prannoy endured a frustrating start to the season-opening Malaysia Super 100 badminton tournament as his opener against Canada's Brian Yang was suspended midway due to a leaking roof at the Axiata Arena on Tuesday. Lakshya, coming off a title win at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow and a third-place finish at the King Cup International, failed to replicate his recent form and succumbed to Chi Yu-jen of Chinese Taipei, losing 14-21, 7-21. The Indian shuttler's game was riddled with unforced errors, leaving him with little chance against the 27-year-old. Prannoy, returning to action after the Paris Olympics, was leading 21-12, 6-3 when rainwater began seeping through the roof, forcing play to be stopped on Court 3 about 25 minutes into the match. After a delay of over an hour, play resumed around 4:15 PM, but the match was halted again as the leak persisted. Yang was leading 11-9 in the second game when offici

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Top seeds Sindhu, Lakshya advance to semis at Syed Modi Tournament

Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen moved a step closer to clinching the women's and men's singles title respectively, registering straight-game wins to advance to the semifinals of the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament here on Friday. Top seed Sindhu, a two-time champion at the event (2017, 2022), defeated China's Dai Wang 21-15, 21-17 in a 48-minute women's singles quarterfinal. Lakshya, the 2021 World Championship bronze medallist, also dominated his match, beating compatriot Meiraba Luwang Maisnam 21-8, 21-19 in the men's singles quarterfinal. Today's match was important. Even though she is a low-ranked player, it doesn't matter. I have rectified my mistakes from yesterday, what went wrong I have not made those again today. I was aggressive from the beginning. Overall, I am happy with my game compared to yesterday, Sindhu said. Sindhu is ranked 18th in the world while Wang is at 118th. "Yesterday, it was a rough patch at some point of time. But

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