It was a mixed day for India in the ongoing Yonex-Sunrise India Open after HS Prannoy along with Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy booked their place in the next round. On Thursday (Jan 18), Prannoy ousted fellow countrymen Priyanshu Rajawat in a battling three-game encounter. On the other hand, Chirag-Satwik beat Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han in straight games. Also Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu led the march of the underdogs in the second round with an upset win over defending men’s singles champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

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Prannoy battles past Priyanshu

After an excellent 2023, Prannoy has kick-started 2024 with two consecutive wins in the tournament. This time he got the better of fellow Indian Priyanshu with a score of 20-22, 21-14, 21-14. He dropped the opening game in a close affair but did not give his opponent an inch in the consequent game and maintained a healthy lead to return to parity. The third game was also no different and saw the World No 9 keep his cool and dominate to win the third game and book his place in the third round.

ALSO READ | India Open 2024: Priyanshu Rajawat, HS Prannoy kick off campaign with contrasting wins

While an Olympic success will be top of the agenda for Prannoy, he will look to build on a very successful 2023. Last year he won the Asian Games silver medal in Hangzhou while he bagged a bronze medal at the World Championships.

Chirag-Satwik continue superb run

In another match of the day, the star pairing of Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy had an easy contest after they outperformed Lu Ching-yao and Yang Po-han of Taiwan. With a dominant score of 21-14, 21-15 they now have their eyes cast on the next round. The Indian pair seized the first game by winning the long rallies and adeptly defending against their opponent’s attacks. They had previously defeated the Taiwanese pair in straight games in the 2022 French Open final.

Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan defeated Yamaguchi 21-11, 21-19 while Japan’s Koke Watanabe upset third seed Feng 14-21, 21-13, 21-9.

In women’s singles matches, defending champion An-Se Young of South Korea had to fight hard for a 21-19, 14-21, 21-14 win over Beiwen Zhang of the USA.

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