P V Sindhu and Dhruv-Tanisha pair advance to Japan Open second round

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday, bringing cheer to badminton fans in Hyderabad. While Sindhu and the Dhruv-Tanisha duo registered straight-game victories in their respective opening-round matches at the BWF Super 750 tournament, other Indian competitors suffered exits or retired hurt.

Sindhu, who is a former 2019 BWF World Champion, put on a dominant display in the women's singles category. She defeated Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching with a score of 21-14, 21-11. The entire match was wrapped up in just 36 minutes, marking a confident and swift start to her tournament campaign.

In the mixed doubles event, the Indian pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also put on a strong performance to secure their spot in the second round. They defeated the Scottish combination of Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson in straight games, finishing the match with a scoreline of 21-16, 21-14.

Despite these early victories, the Indian contingent faced setbacks in other categories. In another mixed doubles match, the pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde bowed out of the competition. They suffered a straight-game defeat against the top-seeded Chinese pair, Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping, losing 11-21, 10-21.

The men's doubles category also saw challenging matches for the Indian players. Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun put up a tough fight against Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan. After losing the first game, the Indian pair fought back to win the second game. However, they were unable to maintain the momentum in the decider, ultimately losing the match 13-21, 21-17, 21-7.

In a major disappointment, the prominent men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also exited the tournament in the opening round. Playing against Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard, the Indian duo had to retire from the match after the first game. The Danish pair won the first game 21-19, after which Satwiksairaj and Chirag retired due to Satwiksairaj’s recurring shoulder injury.