India’s MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan advanced to the second round of the Australian Badminton Open men’s doubles with a commanding straight-games win over American pair Arden Quan Lee and Stanley Xing.
Australian Badminton Open: Arjun-Hariharan reach men's doubles second round; Dayanand enters singles main draw (Credit: Olympics.com)
India’s MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan advanced to the second round of the men’s doubles at the Australian Badminton Open after a commanding straight-games victory over American pair Arden Quan Lee and Stanley Xing on Tuesday.
The Indian duo dominated proceedings from the outset at Olympic Boulevard, sealing a comfortable 21-13, 21-13 win in their opening-round encounter. Although the Americans put up a better fight in the second game and trailed by just one point at the mid-game interval, Arjun and Amsakarunan quickly shifted gears after the break.
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The Indians reeled off the next 10 points while conceding only two, taking complete control of the contest before wrapping up the match in straight games to book their place in the next round.
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However, there was disappointment for India’s other men’s doubles pair, Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Arjun Reddy Pochana, who bowed out in the opening round after a 21-15, 21-15 defeat to local duo Kanki Igawa and Ooi Ye Hern.
With Doddavarapu and Pochana’s exit, Arjun and Amsakarunan remain India’s only challenge in the men’s doubles draw at the tournament.
India’s top-ranked men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, were forced to skip the tournament after Satwik sustained a shoulder injury during last week’s event in Indonesia.
Also Read: Indonesia Open 2026: Satwik-Chirag withdraw after Satwiksairaj suffers shoulder injury
Earlier in the day, Saneeth Dayanand, competing in his maiden BWF Super 500 tournament, qualified for the men’s singles main draw by winning two qualifying matches.
India’s hopes in the men’s singles will now rest on Dayanand and Tharun Mannepalli, with defending champion Lakshya Sen opting not to defend his title. Meanwhile, Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy also withdrew from the tournament despite initially featuring in the entry list.
In the women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, currently ranked No. 11 in the world, will begin her campaign against Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar on Wednesday. Malvika Bansod will also be in action.
Also Read: PV Sindhu leads India’s Australian Open challenge; Lakshya Sen, Satwik-Chirag miss out
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