Indian shuttlers start on a high in doubles events

Indian men’s and women’s doubles teams got off to winning starts in their respective round of 32 matches at the 18th Asian Games.

The women’s pair of Ashwini Ponappa (left) and Sikki Reddy registered a convincing 21-16, 21-15 win over their Hong Kong counterparts Yeung Nga Ting and Wing Yung Ng. (File Photo)

Indian men’s and women’s doubles teams got off to winning starts in their respective round of 32 matches at the 18th Asian Games, here, on Thursday.

The women’s pair of Ashwini Ponappa and Sikki Reddy registered a convincing 21-16, 21-15 win over their Hong Kong counterparts Yeung Nga Ting and Wing Yung Ng. The Indians gave little quarter to their counterparts and used their experience to see off late surges in both sets.

Later, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty eased past the Hong Kong pair of Chun Hei Tam and Yonny Chung 21-12, 21-14, using their power to good effect. Both, Rankireddy and Shetty, looked superior from the start to the finish, wrapping up the tie in 32 minutes.