World No. 1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a straight loss to unseeded Danish pair Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard in the first round of the Singapore Open Super 750 on Tuesday. The match ended in straight games with scores of 20-22, 18-21.
Satwik-Chirag lose in first round of the Singapore Open
Ranked 34th globally, the Danish duo controlled the match from the outset. In the first game, they quickly secured an 11-6 lead at the interval, capitalizing on Chirag’s repeated errors at the net. Despite this, Satwik and Chirag staged a comeback, leveling the score at 17-17 and eventually reaching game point at 20-18. However, Daniel and Mads demonstrated remarkable resilience, saving two game points and clinching the game 22-20.
The second game was fiercely contested, with both pairs exchanging points and the score tied at 7-7. The Danish pair’s strategic play, particularly Daniel’s dominance near the net, forced errors from the Indian duo. Even though Satwik and Chirag held a slight 11-10 lead at the break, the momentum shifted after Daniel’s deceptive serve leveled the score at 12-12.
The game continued to be a close affair, with Satwik and Chirag maintaining a narrow lead until 15-13. However, a powerful smash from Mads pushed Chirag to send a backhand wide, and the Danish pair capitalized on the Indians’ inconsistent net play. With the score at 18-17 in their favor, Daniel and Mads quickly gained two more points to reach match point. Despite saving one match point, Satwik and Chirag ultimately succumbed to the Danish pair’s superior net game, losing 21-18.
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Aakarshi Kashyap succumb to defeat in Singapore Open as well
Earlier in the day, Aakarshi Kashyap fought valiantly but lost to Pornpicha Choekeewong 19-21, 20-22 in her women’s singles Round of 32 match. Similarly, Priyanshu Rajawat was defeated by Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in straight games, 21-23, 19-21.
In the women’s doubles category, the Panda sisters, Rutuparna and Swetaparna, were overpowered by Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun of Chinese Taipei in a three-game match, 12-21, 21-12, 13-21. The mixed doubles pair of Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh also fell short against Hong Kong’s Lee Chun Hei Reginald and Ng Tsz Yau, losing 8-21, 17-21 in just 27 minutes.
Looking ahead, PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, and Lakshya Sen are set to begin their campaigns on Wednesday, hoping to bring better fortunes for the Indian contingent at the Singapore Open.
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