Satwik-Chirag pair wins, error-prone Srikanth goes down in India Open opener

NEW DELHI: Celebrated Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the second round of the men's doubles at the India Open Super 750 tournament on Wednesday.
The dynamic duo, currently ranked World No. 2, displayed their skill and resilience in a hard-fought match against Fang-Chih Lee and Fang-Jen Lee of Chinese Taipei, securing a 21-15, 19-21, 21-16 victory.
However, the day saw a setback as Kidambi Srikanth faced an early exit after an erratic performance, succumbing to a straight-game loss against Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu. Despite a mix of brilliant shots and unforced errors, Srikanth ultimately fell 22-24, 13-21 to the world No. 18 Lee.
Srikanth showed promise with a strong start in the opening game, demonstrating fine strokes from the back court to maintain a lead. However, Lee Cheuk Yiu mounted a comeback, engaging in a tight battle and securing three game points from a 17-17 deadlock.
Despite Srikanth's efforts to level at 20-20 and briefly take a one-point lead, a crucial error in the form of a sprayed shot allowed Lee to seal the game with a crisp drop shot.
The second game saw Srikanth facing a challenging deficit, trailing 2-11 at the break after the change of ends. Although he managed to recover to 6-12, the initial damage proved insurmountable as the gap remained too substantial to bridge, resulting in the Indian shuttler facing a straight-game defeat to Lee Cheuk Yiu.
"I know I have been making unforced errors for some time and I am working on it," said Srikanth after the match.
"I don't play safe, that's my game. I try to earn points. Hopefully, things will be better in the next few tournaments. Parupalli (Kashyap) has a few things on his mind, so let's see. If I win a few tournaments, I will qualify for the Olympics.
"I am not thinking about it as I just don't want to qualify only, I want to be a medal contender too."
In other results, Indian shuttlers Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, ranked World No. 20, faced a tough battle in their women's doubles opener against the formidable World No. 10 Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai. Despite a resilient effort, Crasto and Ponnappa ultimately went down 5-21, 21-18, 11-21.
Meanwhile, the Indian men's pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek, along with the women's duo of Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam, experienced straight-game losses, leading to an early exit from the tournament.
These results underline the competitive challenges faced by Indian shuttlers against higher-ranked opponents in the India Open Super 750 event.
(With PTI inputs)