Sydney, June 9: In an impressive display at the Australian Badminton Open, the Indian men’s doubles pair of M.R. Arjun and Hariharana Amarakurun secured their spot in the second round by defeating the American duo of Arden Kwan and Stanley Jing with a score of 21-13, 21-13 on Tuesday.
The Indian team maintained a strong lead throughout the first game, ultimately winning it 21-13. In the second game, the American pair put up a tough fight, trailing by just one point at the break. However, upon resuming play, the Indian duo quickly gained momentum, scoring the next 10 points while conceding only two, sealing the match in straight games.
In contrast, another Indian men’s doubles team, Achyutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Arjun Reddy Pochana, faced elimination in the first round, losing to the local pair of Kanki Igawa and Oei Yeh Harn with scores of 15-21, 15-21.
With Doddavarapu and Pochana’s exit, the challenge for India in men’s doubles now rests solely on Arjun and Amarakurun. Notably, India’s top-ranked doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, did not participate in this BWF Super 500 tournament due to Satwik’s shoulder injury sustained last week in Indonesia.
Earlier in the day, India’s Sanith Dayanand made headlines by winning two qualifying matches in his first Super 500 badminton tournament, earning a place in the men’s singles main draw.
The hopes for India in men’s singles now hinge on Dayanand and Tharun Mannepalli. Last year’s Australian Open men’s singles champion, Lakshya Sen, is not defending his title this year, while Ayush Shetty and H.S. Prannoy withdrew from the tournament despite being initially listed.
Two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu is set to begin her campaign in Australia on Wednesday against Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar. Currently, Sindhu ranks 11th in women’s singles. Malvika Bansod will also compete in the tournament.
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