Indian shuttler Sathish Kumar Karunakaran has made a strong start at the BWF Japan Open. In the opening round, he faced Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, the world number three. The match took an unexpected turn when Antonsen retired hurt just three minutes into the contest, with Sathish leading 6-1. This early exit for Antonsen propelled Sathish into the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals.
Sathish Kumar inches forward for the Japan Open Title
Sathish, currently ranked 47th in the world, now sets his sights on the round of 16, where he will face Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand. The Japan Open, a prestigious Super 750 tournament, provides a platform for top players to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level.
While Sathish’s progress is promising, other Indian shuttlers faced mixed fortunes. Kiran George made a first-round exit from the men’s singles competition, going down to Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama 19-21 14-21 in the Super 750 tournament.
India’s Sathish Kumar Karunakaran advances to the Japan Open pre-quarters! 🇮🇳🏸
He was leading 6-1 when world No. 3 Antonsen retired hurt. Next up: a clash with Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen in the round of 16! 🔥 #JapanOpen #Badminton #Spinnysports pic.twitter.com/FGAXeViKbQ
— Spinny Sports (@SpinnySports) August 21, 2024
Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy’s campaign also ended prematurely as the Indian mixed doubles pair retired hurt from their first-round match against Denmark’s Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund.
In the women’s doubles event, Rutuparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda lost their round-of-32 match to Julie Finne-Ipsen and Mai Surrow of Denmark 8-21 14-21 in 34 minutes.
None of the Indian shuttlers, who competed in the recent Paris Olympics, are playing in this event.
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