Highlights, World Badminton Championships 2018: Saina, Srikanth, Ashwini, Satwiksairaj shine in mixed day for Indians
Catch the live score and updates from Day 2 of the World Badminton Championships
 "Highlights, World Badminton Championships 2018: Saina, Srikanth, Ashwini, Satwiksairaj shine in mixed day for Indians")
End of Day 2 – Mixed feelings at the Indian camp
What a day this has been for Indian fans!!! While the results of the singles matches went according to script, the doubles matches became a rollercoaster of emotions.
On Day 1, 7 out of 8 Indians made it to the next round at the World Championships. However, on Day 2, this was not the case.
Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth sailed through to the next round with clinical performances. In the doubles division, Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy hogged all the limelight
Ashwini and Satwik won their second-round mixed doubles encounter after being a game down. Both these players then went on to pair with their respective partners in women’s doubles (Sikki Reddy) and men’s doubles (Chirag Shetty) to emerge victorious in those matches too.
The other doubles pairs of Poorvisha/Meghana, Pranaav/Sikki, Kuhoo/Rohan, Kuhoo/Ningshi, Saurabh/Anoushka, Saurabh/Tarun, Arjun/Shlok failed to qualifyu for the next round. Most of these Indian doubles pairs showed a lot of spunk to fight till the end, but fell just short of the finish line.
As I said earlier, it was a mixed day for the Indian contingent and its fans.
However, tomorrow is a new day and we will see Indian shuttlers like PV Sindhu, Sameer Verma, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Sai Praneeth in singles action.
In the doubles division, formidable Indian pairs like Manu/Sumeeth, Ashwini/Sikki, Satwik/Chirag will be in action.
So will we with our coverage of all that’s happening at Nanjing, China at the BWF World Badminton Championships.
That’s it from us and thank you for joining Firstpost and looking forward to seeing you again for Day 3.
21-11. Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun see off the Indian duo in 37 minutes, in spite of a spirited performance from Kuhoo Garg and Ningshi Block Hazarika. It’s doubly heart-breaking for Garg, whose journey at the tournament has come to a premature end after losing twice today.
18-11! It seems like their best is just not enough, with Garg and Hazarika putting themselves about eagerly, but ultimately failing to get past the efficient Chinese Taipei duo.
16-11! It’s now or never for the young pair of Kuhoo Garg/Ningshi Block Hazarika, who need to rally and fight back. Will the Indians be able to enforce a decider or will they bow out?
11-5! At the mid-game break in the second game, things are not looking good for the Indians. Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun have picked up the pace with victory almost within reach.
10-4! Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun carry their form into the second game, establishing a sizeable lead over the Indians. Kuhoo Garg/Ningshi Block Hazarika will need to act quickly to avoid an early exit.
3-3! Kuhoo Garg’s defence is absolutely on point as the Indians rally back to cut down their opponent’s early lead in the second game.
21-19! Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun take the opening game to put Kuhoo Garg at risk of crashing out of two formats in the same day. There were a few positives for the Indian duo, however, with a couple of unforced errors derailing a late comeback.
18-14! Despite some hard work from Kuhoo Garg/Ningshi Block Hazarika, the pair from Chinese Taipei are perfectly poised to take the opening game.
13-12! Kuhoo Garg single-handedly claws back a point for the Indian duo with some excellent net play but Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun are not making it easy for them.
12-10! Is a comeback on the cards? The Indians respond well to going behind to close down the gap with some determination!
11-6! Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun storm into a healthy lead at the mid-game break after their relentless play forces errors out of the Indian pair.
5-5! It’s all tied up! The Indian duo come back quickly after their initial setback to level the score.
5-2! And we’re off! The pair from Chinese Taipei gets an early lead after a couple of exciting rallies.
It’s time for the Women’s doubles match between Kuhoo Garg/Ningshi Block Hazarika and Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun!
WHAT A DECIDER!!! The deciding game in the men’s doubles clash between Satwik/Chirag and Ellis/Langridge is precariously positioned at 15-15.
Ashwini Ponnappa-Sikki Reddy beat Chiang Kai Hsin/Hung Shih Han 19-21, 21-10, 21-17 in the women’s doubles encounter
An excellent day for @P9Ashwini as she wins her 2nd match of the day, this time in the women's doubles with @sikkireddy
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 31, 2018
The Indian duo won 19-21, 21-10, 21-17 to move into the Round of 32#TOTALBWFWC2018
LIVE: https://t.co/rMHefooVDP pic.twitter.com/PsLhCHZsJT
The Olympic bronze medallists have turned around the game with their impeccable sense of coordination coupled with some powerful hitting. Satwik and Chirag were a pale shadow of what they were in the opening game. They lose the 2nd 11-21 and hence the match goes into a decider.
Ashwini Ponnappa seems to love making comebacks. After losing the first game 19-21, Ashwini, along with Sikki Reddy, managed to enforce a decider by winning the 2nd game 21-10.
And Chirag Shetty — Satwiksairaj Rankireddy clinch the opening game. They show immense resilience to win the game 21-19. What a performance by the young duo
19-19! The impressive pairing of Chirag and Satwik are taking the fight to the Olympic bronze medallists.
16-14! Smart judgment there by Chirag to stop his leap mid-air to allow the shuttle to fall wide. The Indian duo continues to trail, but they have the calibre to turn this game around.
Simultaneously on Court 5, the women’s doubles match featuring India’s Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy is underway. The Indian duo are up against Chiang Kai Hsin, Hung Shih Han
6-4! The competition is neck to neck so far. However, the Indian duo are making a lot more unforced errors than the English pair who hold a 2-point lead
It is time for the men’s doubles match between Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty and Marcus Ellis/Chris Langridge
Saurabh Sharma and Anoushka Parikh bow out of the World Championships with an 18-21, 11-21 loss to Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying. Tough Luck!
The remaining matches involving Indians are the men’s doubles and women’s doubles. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy teams up with Chirag Shetty, while his mixed doubles partner Ashwini Ponnappa, along with Sikki Reddy will face Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Kai Hsin, Hung Shih Hsin. In the other women’s doubles match Kuhoo Garg and Ningshi Block Hazarika will be in action
A close first game there for the Anoushka/Saurabh pairing. They are putting up a good fight against much higher-ranked opponents.
Anoushka/Saurabh lost the opening game 18-21.
The surprise package from India, the doubles pair of Anoushka Parikh and Saurabh Sharma are now up against the eighth seeded Malaysian pair Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying.
On Court 2, Olympic champion Carolina Marin makes light work of her Thai opponent Busanan Ongbamrungphan. The Spanish shuttler won 21-9, 21-8
India’s Saina Nehwal puts up an impressive performance in her second-round victory over liye Demirbag. While Saina had a tight first game, she was clinical in the second game. She won the encounter 21-17, 21-8.
India's @NSaina sails through to the next round with a comfortable 21-17, 21-8 win over Turkey's Aliye Demirbag. #SainaNehwal will face Ratchanok Intanon in the 3rd round #TOTALBWFWC2018
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 31, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/rMHefooVDP pic.twitter.com/ZcWnT7IsRQ
14-7! Saina maintains her seven-point advantage with a clever mix of attack and defence. Her cross-court smashes are a sight to watch
Saina leads 11-4!
11-4! Saina has been way better in this game and has been dictating the proceedings right from the start. She goes into the break with a seven-point lead#TOTALBWFWC2018
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 31, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/rMHefooVDP
9-4! Saina drops a point after her defensive shot fails to cross the net. The Indian ace then mimics that shot once again to understand what went wrong before she smashes to regain serve. Champion indeed.
5-2! How good was that cross-court smash from Saina. The World No 10 is mixing her shots well and is using all her experience to unsettle the young Aliye
2-2! Saina won the first two points of the second game, but a faulty serve and a misjudged leave allows Aliye to level the scores
21-17! Saina Nehwal wins that opening game but it is not exactly the best of starts for the Indian ace. She has been patchy and will look to up her game and deny Aliye the chance of enforcing a decider. Aliye is not a pushover and is proving that she belongs on the big stage. Good game this, so far.
15-12! Though trailing by three points, Aliye wrests back the serve from Saina with a perfect body smash. Saina is counteracting those smashes with a few exquisitely placed defensive shots
Saina leads 11-10!
11-10! It is #SainaNehwal who goes into the mid-game break with a one-point advantage.#TOTALBWFWC2018
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 31, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/rMHefooVDP
9-9! A couple of unforced errors by Aliye has allowed Saina to level the scores. However, the Indian ace would be worried with the fact that it has been Demirbag who is setting the pace of the proceedings
5-5! Aliye Demirbag is clearly not overwhelmed by her opponent and has levelled the scores in the opening game. She has been mixing her shots well to pose probing questions to the Indian ace
1-0! A misjudged leave from Saina Nehwal gives Aliye the first point of the match
This is the first meeting between Saina and Aliye. The former silver and bronze medallist at the World Championships, Saina will look to better her record at the event
World No 8 Saina Nehwal takes on Aliye who is eight years her junior and is ranked World No 72.
Meanwhile, on Court 4, the nemesis for Indian shuttlers on Day 2, women’s doubles pair of Poorvisha S Ram and Megha Jakkampudi take on Netherlands’ Debora Jille and Imke van Der Aar
It is time for one of the most anticipated matches of the day. India’s Saina Nehwal takes on Turkey’s Aliye Demirbag
Brilliant victory for the Indian mixed double pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy.
From being one game down, they fought back to win the match 10-21, 21-17, 21-18 in 52 minutes
Japan’s Kenta Momota hardly breaks a sweat in his 21-13, 21-12 win over Ukrainian Artem Pochtarov
What an impressive comeback by the Indian duo Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. After dropping the first game 10-21, the vibrant Indian pair fought back to win the second game 21-17 to enforce the decider in the match against 15th seeded Germans Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich
Things are not looking on Court 4 as the Kuhoo/Rohan are one game down and are trailing 5-11 in the second in their match against the Adcocks
The mixed doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have taken to the court (No 2 court) for their match against Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich
Another Indian doubles pair in action on Court 4. The Russia Open 2018 runners-up Kuhoo Garg and Rohan Kapoor are up against the formidable pairing of Chris and Gabby Adcock
Court No 4 is clearly not lucky for Indians as yet another men’s doubles pair bites the dust. India’s Shlok Ramchandran and Arjun MR lost 14-21, 15-21 to Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia
What a comeback from Ratchanok Intanon. The former World Champion fought back from one game down and trailing 16-19 in the second to beat Mia Blichfeldt 16-21, 22-20, 21-10
The Tarun/Saurabh match is followed by another men’s doubles clash between Arjun MR/Shlok Ramchandran and Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi
Tough luck for the Indian men’s doubles pair of Tarun Kona and Saurabh Sharma. They go down fighting 20-22, 21-18, 17-21 in a 51-minute encounter against Hong Kong’s Or Chin Chung and Tang Chun Man
Meanwhile, on Court 1, the former World Champion Ratchanok Intanon digs her heels deep to push the match into a decider. Intanon fought back from 16-19 to clinch the 2nd game 22-20!
Kidambi Srikanth beats Nhat Nguyen 21-15, 21-16 in 37 minutes to advance into the next round
And the first and hopefully the start of a series of good news for the Indian contingent at the #WorldChampionships@srikidambi wins 21-15, 21-16 in 37 minutes#TOTALBWFWC2018
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 31, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/rMHefooVDP pic.twitter.com/VoJqRXrq8j
17-10! And once again, Kidambi Srikanth shows why he is such a powerhouse as he puts his foot on the pedal to race to a seven-point lead
Meanwhile, on Court 4, the Indian pair of Tarun and Saurabh have enforced a decider in their men’s doubles encounter with Hong Kong’s Chin Chung/Chun Man.
Tarun/Saurabh won the game 21-18
4-4! A similar trend from the opening game follows in this game too. Srikanth opens up a lead and Nguyen manages to level the scores once again
How good has Kidambi Srikanth been in that opening game? He clinches the game 21-15! after winning seven successive points
Nhat Nguyen has levelled the scores at 13-13
Nhat Nguyen has won eight of the ten points after the break to level the scores at 13-13! #TOTALBWFWC2018
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 31, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/rMHefooVDP
There is an upset of sorts happening on Court 1. The former World Champion Ratchanok Intanon loses the opening game 16-21 to Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt
12-9! Nguyen wins four straight points after the break to unsettle the Indian ace. Srikanth manages to wrest the serve from Nguyen to make it a 3-point lead
Meanwhile, on Court 3, the Indian doubles pair of Tarun Kona and Saurabh Sharma lose the rollercoaster of an opening game 20-22 to Chin Chung/Tang Chun Man
And it is Kidambi Srikanth who goes into the mid-game break with a six-point advantage. He leads 11-5!
6-3! Four straight points there for Kidambi Srikanth as the Indian ace starts to open up an early lead in his tournament opener
2-2! After taking a 2-0 lead in the opening game, Kidambi Srikanth has allowed Nguyen to level the scores almost immediately
There are two matches involving Indians happening simultaneously on Court 4 and 5.
While Kona Tarun and Saurabh Sharma take on Hong Kong’s Or Chin Chung Tang and Chun Man in the men’s doubles, World No 5 Kidambi Srikanth faces Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in his tournament opener
Meanwhile, heartbreak for Indian fans as the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav and Sikki have crashed out of the World Champions with a 16-21, 4-21 loss to the higher-seeded Indonesian pair of Hafiz and Gloria. Not the kind of start the Indian contingent would have expected, especially considering the excellent run on Day 1.
In the first singles match on Court 1, fourth-seeded Thailand shuttler Ratchanok Intanon takes on Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt
On Court 3, the mixed doubles pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki Reddy are in trouble against the 12th seeded Indonesian pair of Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.
The Indian pair has lost the first game 21-16
Indians in action
Court 1
10.30 am(Approximately) – Saina Nehwal vs Aliye Demirbag
3.30 pm (Approximately) – Kuhoo Garg/Ningshi Block Hazarika vs Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun
Court 2
1 pm (Approximately) – Saurabh Sharma/Anoushka Parikh vs Chan Peng Soon/ Goh Liu Ying
3 pm (Approximately) – Satwiksairaj rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Marcus Ellis/Chris Langridge
Court 3
7.30 am – Pranaav jerry Chopra/Sikki Reddy vs Hafiz Faizal vs Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja
10 am – Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Ashwini Ponnappa vs Mark Lamsfuss/Josche Zurwonne
Court 4
8.20 am – Kona Tarun/Saurabh Sharma vs Or Chin Chung/Tang Chun Man
9.10 am – Arjun MR/Ramchandran Shlok vs Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi
10 am – Rohan Kapoor/Kuhoo Garg vs Chris Adcock/Gabby Adcock
Court 5
8.20 am – Kidambi Srikanth vs Nhat Nguyen
11.40 am – Meghana Jakkampudi/Poorvisha S Ram vs Debora Jille/Imke Van Der Aar
3 pm – Ashwini Ponnappa/Sikki Reddy vs Chiang Kai Hsin/Hung Shih Han
Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s coverage of the second day’s action from the BWF World Badminton Championships that is happening in Nanjing, China
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