French Open 2024: Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya Sen advance, Treesa-Gayatri beats Ashwini-Tanisha

PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy will be in action tomorrow.

The French Open 2024 badminton tournament witnessed a hair-raising start as India’s top badminton talents showcased their hardihood on the international stage.

The star Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, currently the world’s number one pair, sailed into the second round with a commanding straight games victory over Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. Demonstrating their championship pedigree, the duo delivered a clinical performance, securing a 21-13, 24-22 win in just 47 minutes.

Satwik-Chirag, who have been runners-up in the last three tournaments they played, are set to continue their quest for their second French Open title against another Malaysian pair, Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee.

In the women’s doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the second round following a hard-fought victory over fellow Indians Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto. The match, which ended 16-21, 21-19, 21-17, not only highlighted the depth of Indian badminton but also the intense competition for Olympic qualification.

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The Indian contingent’s success extended to the men’s singles, where Lakshya Sen staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama. After dropping the first game, Sen rallied to win 15-21, 21-15, 21-3, booking his spot in the second round where he will face the third seed, Li Shi Feng.

However, Priyanshu Rajawat faced a daunting challenge against world number one Viktor Axelsen and succumbed to a 21-8, 21-15 defeat, highlighting the Danish player’s dominance on the court.

The action continues with PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, and HS Prannoy set to commence their singles campaigns. Sindhu, a formidable force in women’s badminton, will take on Canada’s Michelle Li, while Srikanth and Prannoy will face formidable opponents in Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen and China’s Lu Guang Zhu, respectively.

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