Indian Open: Sindhu reaches quarterfinals while determined Kiran keeps hopes alive

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals, while Kiran George showcased a determined performance to keep the home hopes alive in the men’s singles at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday.

Sindhu eased past Japan’s world No. 46 Manami Suizu with a commanding 21-15, 21-13 victory, while Kiran staged an incredible comeback, saving six game points to defeat Alex Lanier 22-20, 21-13 in the pre-quarterfinals.

Sindhu, a former world champion, will now face Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, while Kiran will take on left-handed Chinese shuttler Hong Yang Weng in the next round.

Kiran’s match against Alex started with the Frenchman leading 6-1 before a series of unforced errors allowed the Indian to claw back. Despite Alex using his smashes effectively, Kiran hung in and managed to close the gap. Alex led by three points at the interval, but Kiran showed remarkable mental resilience.

Down 14-20, Kiran saved seven game points, launching an eight-point burst to seal the opening game as Alex repeatedly missed the lines.

WHAT A COMEBACK!

Kiran George is firing on all cylinders with the arena right behind him! 🏸🙌🇮🇳

He saves SEVEN game points and takes Game 1 against Alex Lanier 🔥🔥🔥#yonexsunriseindiaopen #kirangeorge #badminton pic.twitter.com/kV3nWzm2Pl

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) January 16, 2025

In the second game, Kiran led 14-11 after a fierce battle. Alex’s smashes went wide and long, while Kiran capitalised on every opportunity. Alex lost both challenges as Kiran surged to a 19-13 lead, and a couple of net errors sealed the match for the Indian.

“I was just taking it one point at a time, not thinking about the lead. I think that helped me secure the first set. I was just being patient,” Kiran said after the match.

“This win feels good, but I’m focused on my next match. It’s a huge confidence booster. Going into tomorrow’s match will help a lot. It’s just hard work; I’m playing patiently. That’s what I think changed my game. Today, I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave my all.”

Also, India’s celebrated men’s double pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had a tough match as they defeated Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura 20-22, 21-14, 21-16 to reach the final eight.

Sindhu vs Suizu

Sindhu made a strong start, leading 11-6 at the break. Although Suizu briefly narrowed the gap to 11-13 and 13-14, Sindhu was always a step ahead, with the Japanese player unable to cope with the Indian’s powerful smashes. Sindhu continued to hit deep returns and used precise drops to trouble Suizu. Soon, she was 20-14 up and sealed the game when Suizu hit into the net.

After the change of sides, Sindhu raced to a 5-0 lead. The second game was all about Sindhu, as she quickly established a dominant 11-2 lead at the interval, and it became clear that Suizu had no answers to the Indian’s relentless pressure.

Disappointing day for doubles pairs

It wasn’t a great day for women’s doubles and mixed doubles pairs of India as all of them lost on Thursday including the Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto-Dhruv Kapila pairs.

Women’s doubles results:

Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) 9-21, 21-23

Rutaparna Panda-Swetaparna Panda lost to Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Korea) 21-6, 21-7

Ashwini Bhat-Shikha Gautam vs Li Yijing-Luo Xumin (China) 21-7, 21-10

Mixed doubles results

Ashith Surya-Amrutha Pramuthesh lost to Yang Po-han-Hu Ling-fang (Taiwan) 21-8, 21-11

Tanisha Crasto-Dhruv Kapila lost to Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito (Japan) 21-18, 21-17

With agency inputs