The India's star men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty started the new season with a victory, moving into the second round of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament, while HS Prannoy, an Asian Games bronze medalist, was defeated in his first-round match on Wednesday.
The world No.2 pair, Satwik and Chirag, successfully navigated a challenging match against the tenacious Indonesian duo of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Maulana Bagas with scores of 21-18, 21-19. Meanwhile, world No. 8 Prannoy fell to Denmark's Anders Antonsen, who is ranked just below him, with scores of 14-21, 11-21 in a match that lasted 43 minutes. The second-seeded duo of Satwik and Chirag, semifinalists in 2023, aim to build on their momentum and advance further in the tournament after enduring a tough 44-minute match against the world No. 9 pair, who had previously defeated the Indian team twice last year at the Thailand Open and China Open.
Satwik and Chirag have been in formidable form, having achieved significant victories including the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou, a Super 1000 title in Indonesia, the Korea Open Super 500, and the Swiss Open Super 300 last year. These successes propelled them to a career-high World No.1 ranking, albeit briefly.
In their recent match, the pair established early control in the first game with powerful smashes, securing a four-point lead at 8-4 and maintaining that lead throughout. The second game, however, presented more of a challenge. The Indian duo found themselves behind for the majority of the game but managed to tie the score at 19-all, eventually clinching the final two points to secure the win.
Prannoy, a leading contender for the Olympics, had an outstanding last season, marked by his first-ever bronze medals at both the World Championships and the Asian Games, as well as a victorious performance at the Malaysia Masters Super 500.
However, in his first match of the season, the Indian player appeared out of form and struggled to keep pace with his opponent.
Later in the day, another Indian competitor, Lakshya Sen, is set to commence his journey in the tournament with a match against China's Weng Hong Yang.
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