India’s campaign at the Japan Open suffered an early setback after star men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were forced to retire from their opening-round match due to Satwik’s recurring shoulder injury, while two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced comfortably to the women’s singles second round.
Returning to competition for the first time since withdrawing from the Indonesia Open in June, the world No. 4 pair were trailing Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard after losing a closely fought opening game 19-21 before deciding not to continue, with Satwik once again struggling with his shoulder.
Shoulder injury strikes again after Indonesia Open withdrawal
The latest setback also rules Satwik and Chirag out of next week’s China Open as they shift their focus towards regaining full fitness ahead of the BWF World Championships in India next month.
The injury is another blow for the Indian pair, who had ended a two-year wait for a BWF World Tour title by winning the Singapore Open in May. However, Satwik aggravated his shoulder during their opening-round match at the Indonesia Open, forcing the pair to withdraw from that tournament and subsequently miss several events.
Sindhu, meanwhile, provided India with a bright start in the women’s singles, registering a dominant 21-14, 21-11 victory over Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in just 35 minutes.
The world No. 10 controlled the contest from the outset, opening up a healthy lead midway through the first game before combining powerful smashes with precise net play to take the opener. She maintained the momentum after the interval, racing to an 11-3 advantage in the second game and never allowing Wong a route back into the match.
The win improved Sindhu’s head-to-head record against the Malaysian to 3-0 and secured her place in the second round of the BWF Super 750 tournament.
India also had reason to celebrate in the mixed doubles, where Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto defeated Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson 21-16, 21-14 to progress.
However, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde exited in the opening round after a 21-11, 21-10 defeat to top-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.
India’s campaign continues on Wednesday with Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda beginning their singles campaigns, while men’s doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will take on Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan in the first round.