The Thailand Open 2024, a prestigious event in the Badminton World Federation’s calendar, witnessed a mix of triumphs and upsets on May 15, Wednesday. The Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, popularly known as Satwik-Chirag, progressed to the men’s doubles pre-quarterfinals. However, the tournament also saw the unexpected exit of fifth seed H.S. Prannoy.
Satwik-Chirag are back on track
Satwik-Chirag, the top seeds in the men’s doubles category, showcased their prowess by swiftly dispatching the Malaysian pair of Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn and Tan Wee Kiong. The match, which lasted just 34 minutes, ended with a commanding scoreline of 21-13, 21-13 in favour of the Indian duo. Their next challenge awaits against the Chinese pair of Xie Hao Nan and Zeng Wei Han.
Satwik/Chirag comfortably win their 1st round match at Thailand Open (Super 500) 21-13, 21-13 against lower ranked Malaysian pair. #ThailandOpen2024 pic.twitter.com/tKS2pQKnzL
— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) May 15, 2024
Prannoy’s Unexpected Exit
In contrast to the success of Satwik-Chirag, fifth-seeded H.S. Prannoy faced an unexpected defeat in the opening round. He lost to compatriot Meiraba Luwang Maisnam in a match that lasted 55 minutes. Meiraba emerged victorious with a 21-19, 21-18 scoreline. His next opponent will be Denmark’s Mads Christophersen.
Other Notable Performances
In the women’s singles category, Ashmita Chaliha fought tooth and nail to clinch victory from the jaws of defeat against Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo of Indonesia. She secured a hard-fought 19-21, 21-15, 21-14 win. However, a formidable challenge lies ahead for Ashmita as she is set to face top seed Han Yue of China in the second round. Han Yue had a comfortable victory over another Indian, Malvika Bansod, with a score of 21-11, 21-10.
Unfortunately, Unnati Hooda couldn’t advance beyond the opening round, as she lost a closely contested match against Lianne Tan of Belgium, despite initially gaining a game advantage. Tan eventually sealed the match with a scoreline of 14-21, 21-14, 21-9.
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