Shenzhen
Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and the men’s doubles duo Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy made a strong start at the China Masters Super 750 badminton tournament, securing victories in the first round on Tuesday. In an impressive performance, World Championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy overcame a tough challenge from Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, winning 21-18, 22-20 in a closely contested match lasting 50 minutes. Despite a slow start and trailing 6-9 in the opening game, Prannoy rallied to take a narrow lead at the break. The second game witnessed intense rallies, but Prannoy held his ground and sealed the victory on his second match point opportunity. Meanwhile, the men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, ranked fifth in the world, dominated their English opponents Ben Lane and Sean Vendy with a commanding 21-13, 21-10 win in just 37 minutes. In the women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap faced a tough challenge against local shuttler Zhang Yi Man, losing 12-21, 14-21 in 33 minutes. Aakarshi, a regular on the BWF World Tour 2023 season, is yet to progress beyond the second round. Looking ahead, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and Priyanshu Rajawat will represent India in the men’s singles on Wednesday. The results at the China Masters will contribute to players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the qualification window spanning from May 1, 2023, to April 2024.
