The 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai brought both triumph and disappointment for India’s top shuttlers on Thursday. While P.V. Sindhu, H S Prannoy, and the men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the quarterfinals, Kidambi Srikanth suffered a heartbreaking loss.
In a sensational display of her skills, two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu defeated China’s Yue Han in straight sets of 21-12, 21-15 in just 33 minutes. With her outstanding performance, Sindhu has set up a highly anticipated quarterfinal clash with second-seeded Korean An Se Young, who has beaten the Indian in all of their previous five meetings.
Eighth-seeded H.S. Prannoy had to dig deep to overcome Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-16, 5-21, 21-18 in a 61-minute battle. With this win, Prannoy will now face Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Srikanth’s campaign came to an end after he lost 14-21, 22-20, 9-21 to fourth-seeded Kodai Naraoka, Tsuneyama’s compatriot.
India’s men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their fine form as they defeated Korea’s Jin Yong and Na Sung Seung in straight sets of 21-14, 21-19. Satwik and Chirag, who are seeded sixth, will now face third-seeded Indonesians Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the quarterfinals.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Sikki Reddy advanced to the quarterfinals after their second-round opponents, Korea’s Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yu Jung, gave a walkover. The Indian duo will next meet Indonesian pair Dejan Ferdinansyah and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.
However, India’s B. Sumeeth Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa lost their round of 16 fixture 15-21, 17-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ko-Chi and Lee Chih Chen. In women’s doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had to withdraw from their second-round clash against sixth-seeded Koreans Jeong Na Eun and Kim Hye Jeong due to injury.
Despite the highs and lows, India’s top shuttlers have showcased their grit and determination at the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai. With some exciting clashes lined up for the quarterfinals, Indian fans will be hoping for more victories and a strong showing from their players.
