Indian Duo Shines at Arctic Open, But Star Singles Players Exit Early

New Delhi, October 8 (Daily Kiran) : In an exciting day at the Arctic Open, held on October 8, 2026, Indian pair Krishna Prasad Garaga and Prithvi Krishna Murthy Roy triumphed over China’s fifth-seeded duo, He Ji Ting and Ren Jiang Yu, with scores of 10-21, 21-18, and 22-20. Their victory secured them a spot in the men’s doubles pre-quarterfinals.

Despite losing the first game, the unseeded Indian team made a remarkable comeback in a match that lasted 61 minutes. Garaga and Roy, who recently won the Saint-Denis Reunion Open and the Mexican International Challenge in May, will next face England’s Oliver Butler and Samuel Jones for a chance to enter the quarterfinals.

In contrast, seasoned singles players HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth were eliminated early in the tournament. World No. 31 Srikanth started strong, winning the first game against Canada’s Brian Yang. However, he struggled to maintain his momentum, ultimately losing the match 21-15, 15-21, 13-21. This defeat further complicates what has been a challenging season for Srikanth, who has experienced eight first-round exits on the BWF World Tour this year. His best performance was as the runner-up at the US Open Super 300 in June.

Prannoy’s challenge against fourth-seeded Anders Antonsen ended quickly as well. The 34-year-old, who reached the semifinals at the Vietnam Open Super 100 last month, was unable to keep pace with the Danish player, losing 21-10, 21-9. With their exits, India’s hopes now rest on Tharun Mannapelly, who progressed from the qualifying rounds. Mannapelly secured a win against Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen, 21-16, 21-14, and will face second-seeded Kristo Popov from France in the next round.

Meanwhile, Raunak Chauhan’s journey ended after a tough match against China’s Weng Hong Yang. After losing the first game, Chauhan fought back to level the score but ultimately fell short, losing 22-20, 20-22, 21-17.

India’s campaign in women’s singles will resume soon, featuring two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and Tanvi Sharma in the second round. The sixth-seeded Sindhu will compete against Japan’s Riko Gunji, while Tanvi faces a challenging match against top-seeded and former world champion Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand.