Thailand Open 2024: HS Prannoy stunned by compatriot Meiraba Maisnam; Satwik-Chirag advance to second round

Ashmita Chaliha and Meiraba Maisnam were the only singles players to progress to round of 16.

Indian men’s doubles pair and former World No. #1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the second round of the Thailand Open 2024 with a straight forward win. But the top-ranked Indian in singles, HS Prannoy, suffered a shock opening round defeat against compatriot Meiraba Maisnam on Wednesday.

Top seeds in the BWF Super 500 tournament, Satwik-Chirag faced world number #71 pair Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong from Malaysia. The formidable Indian duo won the match in just 34 minutes in straight games 21-13, 21-13. Following an underwhelming performance for India in the Thomas Cup, Satwik-Chirag would be eyeing redemption at the Thailand Open, especially with the Paris Olympics 2024 just two months away.

The Indian duo will next face Chinese pair Xie Hao Nan/Zeng Wei Han for a place in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, WR-9 HS Prannoy faced a shocking defeat against his fellow Indian compatriot, Meiraba Maisnam, in the round of 32. Prannoy went down in less than hour in straight games 21-19, 21-18.

In the opening game, the score was tied at 18-18 when Meiraba secured two points to reach game point. He won the opening game 21-19 after Prannoy missed the line with a final smash. During the second game, Meiraba led 18-13, but Prannoy closed the gap to one point at 18-19. However, with the former on match point at 18-20, Prannoy’s final drop shot missed the line, giving Meiraba the game and the match with a 21-18 victory.

Meiraba is currently ranked #84 in the world and will now face Mads Christophersen from Denmark in the round of 16.

In women’s singles, Ashmita Chaliha defeated Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo from Indonesia in a fierce three-game battle. Chaliha made a comeback after losing the first game to seal the match 19-21, 21-15, 21-14. Ester was also able to win a game against He Bing Jao in the Uber Cup, establishing her presence in the Badminton world.

In women’s doubles, number #4 seeds Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto got a bye in their first-round match. They will now face the Chinese Taipei pair of Hung En-Tzu and Lin Yu-Pei ranked #52 in the world. Last month, the Indian pair confirmed their qualification for the Paris Olympics and even missed the Uber Cup to prepare for it.

In an all-India clash between Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda who are currently ranked #50 in the world and Nikki Rapria/Nishu Rapria ranked 92 in the world, the Panda sisters won the match comfortably 21-9, 21-5.

Mixed doubles saw WR #42 Sathish Kumar Karunakaran/Aadya Variyath take on Thailand’s Tanakorn Meechai/Fungfa Korpthammakit. The Indian duo won the match comfortably in straight games 21-17, 21-16.

However, the second mixed doubles encounter featuring Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy could not surpass the tough challenge posed by the WR #15 pair of Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari. The Indian duo lost the match 21-12, 21-16.

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Other results of Indian players

Kiran George bowed out to Mads Christophersen from Denmark in a fierce three-game battle. The final scoreline of the match was 15-21, 21-13, 17-21 in the favour of Christophersen. Meanwhile, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran lost to Jason Gunawan from Hong Kong 13-21, 17-21.

Malvika Bansod had a tough challenge ahead of her as she faced the top seed, Han Yue from China. Malvika lost in straight games 21-11, 21-10. In the other two women’s singles matches, Aakarshi Kashyap lost to Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in straight games (21-13, 21-8) while Unnati Hooda went down to Lianne Tan of Belgium in three games — 14-21, 21-14, 21-9.

Palak Arora and Unnati Hooda faced the Chinese pair of Keng Shu Liang and Zhang Chi who are currently ranked #43 in the world. The Indian pair retired in the second game, the final score reading 21-6, 5-4 (retired).

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