With the quarterfinal spot assured after their win over Hong Kong on Wednesday, India opted to rest Asian Games gold medallist doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and former world no. 1 Kidambi Srikanth in order to keep them fresh for the knock-out stage
India were already assured of a knockout round spot as only two teams were part of Group W, but they qualified to the next round with a brilliant win over top seeded China.
The Indian contingent for the tournament that gets underway on 13 February comprises leading names such as PV SIndhu, HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, etc.
“I would say, this Olympics is going to be a different experience because the 2016 and 2020 Olympics were very different. Paris will be more challenging but at the same time, I have much more experience and I will have to be much smarter this time,” said PV Sindhu.
HS Prannoy, who had reached the semifinals at India Open Super 750 earlier this month, lost to Loh Kean Yew 18-21, 21-19, 10-21 in his opening round.
"I feel sometimes losing is better than winning always. There have been few tournaments where we lost and then we got lucky to win but I feel when it matters, it will come, we just need to hang in there," said Satwik.
Satwik-Chirag pair was looking in good touch having won the first game 21-15, but the Koreans scripted a resurgent comeback to win the second and third games 21-11 and 21-18 respectively
India Open final Highlights: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went down fighting to the Korean pair of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae in men's doubles title match of the 2024 India Open. The final score read 15-21, 21-11, 21-18.
HS Prannoy showed early signs of going ahead in the game when he was leading 5-2 in the first game, but a few erratic smashes and unforced errors led to his defeat and eventual ouster from the tournament.
India Open 2024 Highlights: HS Prannoy suffered a 21-15, 21-5 defeat to China's Shi Yuqi in the semi-finals of the 2024 India Open in New Delhi.
The 21-year-old Young, who had hurt her knee during the Asian Games last October, was trailing 19-21 0-3 against Jia Min, when she decided to throw in the towel.
Rajawat staged a comeback after losing the first game to defeat Sen 16-21 21-16 21-13 in a 75-minute affair while Prannoy dished out a compact game to outwit Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 21-6 21-19 in 42 minutes.
Big names like, Viktor Axelsen, Kodai Naraoka, Carolina Marin and many more will be involved in the India Open this year. As for the home shuttlers, the likes of HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth will be vying for the title this year.
With six titles in 2023, Satwik and Chirag have been a cut above the rest of the Indians, and the runner-up finish at the Malaysia Super 1000 has only spiced things up as the Indian shuttlers look to deliver at home.
The world No 2 pair suffered a 21-9, 18-21, 17-21 defeat to the World No 1 Chinese pair. Satwik and Chirag squandered a 11-7 lead in the third game.
Malaysia Open: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty go down 21-9, 18-21, 17-21 in the men's doubles final in Kuala Lumpur.
Satwik-Chirag scripted a remarkable comeback after being down and out in the second game, saving six game points during an eight-point burst to waltz their way to a 21-18 22-20 win over their Korean opponents in a thrilling semifinal clash.
Satwik and Chirag, ranked second in the world, looked in control during the rallies and were also proactive at the net to eke out a dominating 21-11 21-8 win over China's Ren Xiang Yu and He Ji Ting in just 35 minutes.
World No. 2 Satwik and Chirag, who had a stellar run in 2023 with six titles, beat France's world No. 36 Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar 21-11 21-18 to set up a quarter-final clash with China's world No. 32 He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
The world No.2 doubles combination of Satwik and Chirag overcame a tough challenge from the gritty Indonesian pair of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Maulana Bagas 21-18, 21-19
Kidambi Srikanth notched up a stunning 12-21, 21-18, 21-16 win over sixth seed Christie in the opening round match that lasted an hour and five minutes.
PV Sindhu, who suffered a knee injury at the French Open last year and has been out of action since, and World No. 8 HS Prannoy will spearhead a strong Indian squad at the continental championships slated to be held in Shah Alam, Malaysia from 13-19 February.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who won a historic men's doubles gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, opened up on receiving the highest sporting honour in the country in the latest episode of First Sports.
Eighth seed Prannoy will be opening his campaign against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei and will face the winner of the match between Sen and Rajawat after clearing the first-round hurdle.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and HS Prannoy provided the highs for Indian badminton in 2023 while many, most notably PV Sindhu, struggled
Viktor Axelsen and Tai Tzu Ying won the men's and women's singles titles respectively at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou.
Former World No 1 and Olympic medallist Nozomi Okuhara shared her India ordeal which included being harassed at the airport, fleeced by a cabbie and four-hour wait for hotel room.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto won their third title of the year in Guwahati, having earlier won the Abu Dhabi Masters Super 100 and Nantes International Challenge
Having set the record for the fastest hit by a male badminton player earlier this year, Rankireddy has now shared a heart-warming video on social media, showing his father having a look at his son’s Guinness World Record certificate.
In an interview with Rupha Ramani on the First Sports show, ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu recalled her horrific knee injury she suffered during her pre-quarterfinal clash in the 2023 French Open recently.