Badminton

Indian badminton players faced a disappointing start at the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament, with both the women's and mixed doubles pairs suffering opening-round defeats on Wednesday.In the women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand squandered a game lead to lose 21-19, 17-21, 15-21 against fifth-seeded Malaysian duo Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah. Despite a strong start, the Indian pair couldn't maintain their momentum and eventually succumbed to their higher-ranked opponents.The mixed doubles pair of B Summeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy also endured a heartbreaking loss, falling 22-20, 19-21, 22-24 to Canadian duo Kevin Lee and Eliana Zhang. After taking the first game, the Indians let their lead slip away in the second and third games, narrowly missing out on a victory.The only bright spot for India on Wednesday was double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, who advanced to the second round of the women's singles after her opponent, Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei, retired midway through the second game.Earlier in the tournament, Lakshya Sen, a 2021 World Championships bronze medalist, crashed out in the opening round of the men's singles, while Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap also made first-round exits from the women's singles competition.The Denmark Open Super 750 is a prestigious badminton tournament that attracts top players from around the world. The Indian shuttlers will be hoping to bounce back from their disappointing start and make a strong showing in the remaining rounds of the competition.

India's Lakshya Sen's Denmark Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as he succumbed to a three-game defeat against China's Lu Guang Zu in the opening round. The 2021 World Championship bronze medalist squandered an early advantage, losing 21-12 19-21 14-21 in a grueling 70-minute encounter.Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, had previously suffered a second-round exit at the Arctic Open in Finland last week. His loss in Odense marks another setback in his post-Olympic campaign.Meanwhile, double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu advanced to the second round after her opponent, Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei, retired midway through the second game with the score reading 21-8 13-7 in favor of the Indian.However, Malvika Bansod, who reached the quarterfinals at the China Open, failed to overcome the opening hurdle, losing 13-21 12-21 to Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh in women's singles. Aakarshi Kashyap also faced an early exit, falling 13-21 12-21 to seventh-seeded Thai shuttler Supanida Katethong.In women's doubles, the Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, also made a first-round exit, losing 18-21 22-24 against Chinese Taipei's Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.Sen, who was competing in his second event since the Olympics, started strongly against Lu, keeping pace with his Chinese rival before pulling ahead at 8-8 and taking an 11-9 advantage at the break. The Indian extended his lead to 20-11 with a seven-point burst, comfortably pocketing the opening game.However, Lu rallied in the second game, narrowing the gap to 11-12 and eventually taking a 19-18 lead. Sen drew parity, but Lu secured the required two points to script a comeback.In the decider, Lu maintained his composure and pulled ahead to 14-9, while Sen struggled to keep pace. Lu seized six match points and sealed the victory when Sen went long.

Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are determined to rebound from a disappointing start to their season at the USD 850,000 Denmark Open Super 750, which begins on Tuesday.Both players struggled at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, last week. Former world champion Sindhu was eliminated in the first round, while 2021 world bronze medalist Sen lost in the second round.At Arena Fyn in Odense, they hope for better results as they lead India's challenge in this prestigious tournament, the 13th event of the 2024 BWF World Tour.Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, lost a close match to Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen last week. In Odense, the 23-year-old from Almora will face China's Lu Guang Zu in his opening match, an opponent he has yet to meet in professional badminton. If he advances, Sen could face Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the second round, with reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand likely waiting for him in the quarter-finals.Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, needs to address the issues affecting her performance after a disappointing first-round loss to Canada's Michelle Li, an opponent she had previously defeated 10 times. Under the guidance of new coaches Anup Sridhar and Korea's Lee Hyun-il, she will open against Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po and could potentially face China's Han Yue in the second round if she progresses.In addition to Sindhu, India will have several other competitors in women's singles, including the in-form Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, and promising talent Unnati Hooda. Bansod, who reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, will face Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh at first, while Kashyap faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong. Hooda, the 2022 Odisha Open winner, will compete against Lauren Lam from the USA.While there will be no Indian representation in men's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who missed the Paris Olympics, will compete in the women's doubles, taking on the fifth-seeded Malaysian duo of Pearly Tan and Thinnah Muralitharan. The Panda sisters, Swetaparna and Rutaparna, will face off against Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tung of Chinese Taipei.In mixed doubles, the husband-wife combination of B Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy are set to face Canada's Kevin Lee and Eliana Zhang, while Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath will take on Indonesia's Rehan Kusharjanto and Lisa Kusumawati.

Indian shuttlers faced a disappointing end to their Arctic Open campaign in Finland on Thursday, with all representatives bowing out in the pre-quarterfinals.Lakshya Sen, India's top-ranked player, squandered a one-game lead to lose 21-19, 18-21, 15-21 to seventh-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. The match lasted an arduous one hour and 10 minutes.Qualifier Kiran George, who had upset World No. 25 Wang Tzu Wei in the first round, was outplayed 17-21, 8-21 by fifth-seeded Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.In the women's singles, Malvika Bansod fell 15-21, 8-21 to former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. Unnati Hooda and Aakarshi Kashyap also suffered defeats in their respective matches.Unnati lost 10-21, 19-21 to Canada's Michelle Li, while Aakarshi went down 9-21, 8-21 to second-seeded Han Yue of China.The mixed doubles pair of Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath lost 12-21, 15-21 to the Chinese duo of Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi.In the final Indian match of the day, the women's doubles pair of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda were defeated 8-21, 10-21 by top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China.The Arctic Open is a Super 500 tournament on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour.

India's rising badminton star Lakshya Sen has advanced to the men's singles round of 16 at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament in Finland. Sen's opponent, Rasmus Gemke, withdrew from their opening round match on Wednesday, giving Sen a walkover.Sen, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal in Tokyo, will face the winner of the match between seventh seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei and qualifier Arnaud Merkle of France in the next round. Qualifier Kiran George is the only other Indian in action on Wednesday, taking on Tzu Wei Wang of Chinese Taipei later in the day.On Tuesday, Malvika Bansod continued her impressive form this year by upsetting world No. 23 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei in the women's singles. Bansod, who won her first title in over two years in February, showed her resilience in a hard-fought match, winning 21-19, 24-22. However, she faces a tough challenge in the next round against former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.Another promising Indian shuttler, Unnati Hooda, defeated Brazil's Juliana Viana Viera to set up an encounter against Michelle Li of Canada. Rising star Aakarshi Kashyap also progressed to the round of 16 on Tuesday night, beating Germany's Yvonne Li. She will next face second seed Yue Han of China.India's badminton contingent is looking to make a strong showing at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament. With Sen, Bansod, Hooda, and Kashyap all advancing to the later rounds, India has a chance to secure multiple medals.

Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu's Arctic Open Super 500 campaign came to an abrupt end in the round of 32, as she succumbed to a 16-21, 10-21 defeat against Canada's Michelle Li. However, rising Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod continued her impressive form, stunning world No. 23 Sung Shuo Yun 21-19, 24-22 to advance to the women's singles pre-quarterfinals.Bansod's victory is a testament to her growing prowess on the international stage. The 23-year-old southpaw, who clinched her first title in over two years at the Azerbaijan International in February, showed her resilience in a hard-fought match that lasted 57 minutes.In the next round, Bansod will face a formidable challenge in the form of either Ratchanok Intanon, the 2013 world champion from Thailand and tournament top seed, or Wang Zhi Yi, the 2022 world champion from China.Meanwhile, Aakarshi Kashyap also secured a place in the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-19, 21-14 victory over Germany's Yvonne Li in another women's singles contest.Sindhu's early exit marks her first tournament since the Paris Olympics. The 27-year-old Indian, who has won two Olympic medals (a silver in Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo 2020), will be hoping to bounce back in her next outing.

PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, India's star shuttlers, will spearhead the Indian contingent at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament in Vantaa, Finland, starting on Tuesday. The tournament marks their first international outing since the Paris Olympics, where they failed to secure any medals.Sindhu and Sen are eager to regain their momentum on the international stage. They have reassessed their performances and made changes to their training regimes. Sindhu has appointed Anup Sridhar and Korean legend Lee Syun Il as her new coaches, while Sen has spent time at the Red Bull Arena in Austria for physical assessment.In the opening round, Sindhu will face familiar rival Michelle Li of Canada, while Sen will compete against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. Sindhu is favored to overcome Li and could face Japanese sensation Tomako Miyazaki in the next round. For Sen, it's a chance for revenge against Gemke, who defeated him at the India Open earlier this year.Kidambi Srikanth, returning to action after a four-month injury layoff, will compete in the qualifiers alongside Kiran George and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran. In women's singles, Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap will also be in contention.In women's doubles, Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will represent India, while Sathish will partner with Aadya Variyath in mixed doubles.The Indian shuttlers will be looking to make a strong start to their season and build momentum towards the upcoming major tournaments, including the World Championships and the Asian Games.

Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth is set to make his long-awaited return to badminton at the Macau Open, starting Tuesday. The 31-year-old Indian has been sidelined since suffering an injury during the Singapore Open in May.Srikanth, who is seeded sixth for the BWF Super 300 event, will be joined by a 23-member Indian contingent. The contingent includes promising shuttler Malvika Bansod, who recently reached the quarterfinals of the China Open. However, Bansod has withdrawn from the Macau Open.In Srikanth's absence, India's hopes in the men's singles competition will rest on the shoulders of Mithun Manjunath, Sameer Verma, and Ayush Shetty.In the women's singles, Anupama Upadhyaya, Tanya Hemanth, and Tasnim Mir will be the Indian representatives.India's best chance for a podium finish lies in the women's doubles competition, where Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly are seeded third. The duo reached the semifinals of the Singapore Open BWF Super 750 event earlier this year.Commonwealth Games medalists N Sikki Reddy and B Sumeeth Reddy will lead India's charge in the mixed doubles competition.Notably, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will not be participating in the Macau Open.The tournament will conclude on Sunday, November 27.

Paralympic champion Nitesh Kumar has raised concerns over the lack of recognition and administrative support for para badminton within the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Kumar, who won a historic gold medal in the SL3 class at the Paris Paralympics, has called for para badminton to be transferred under the aegis of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for the sport's betterment and progress.Kumar expressed his dissatisfaction with BAI's lack of attention to para badminton, despite the significant achievements of para shuttlers. "We have won 21 medals at the Asian Para Games, around 14-15 medals at the World Championships, and 5 medals at the Paralympics, but we don't receive basic appreciation from BAI," Kumar said.He highlighted several administrative issues affecting para shuttlers, including delays, inefficiencies, and logistical problems. "There are significant administrative delays and inefficiencies. Often, only 1 or 2 people manage everything, and it's kind of too much for them, they sometimes miss things," Kumar said.Kumar emphasized the need for a dedicated administration team, clear communication channels, and player involvement in selection procedures. "First and foremost, we need a proper administration team. Currently, all responsibilities often fall on one person, which at times gets overwhelming. With a dedicated team, tasks can be distributed effectively and managed more efficiently," Kumar said.He also raised concerns about the lack of support for para badminton in terms of funding, training facilities, and equipment. "We need more funding for para badminton. We need better training facilities and equipment. We need more coaches and support staff," Kumar said.Kumar's call for the transfer of para badminton to PCI has received support from other para shuttlers and sports enthusiasts. They believe that PCI has a better track record of supporting para sports and can provide the necessary resources and support for the growth and development of para badminton in India.