Syed Modi International 2024: Satwik-Chirag pair pulls out on opening day; Sindhu eyes third title

In the men’s section, Lakshya Sen will begin his title challenge in the singles against Malaysian qualifier Sholeh Aidil, looking for his first triumph since the Canada Open in 2023.

File photo: Indian duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were scheduled to face the Chinese pair of Chen Xu Jun and Guo Ruo Han in the opening round. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Indian challenge at the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament suffered a setback after former World No. 1 pair and firm favourites for the title Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy withdrew on the opening day of the competition on Tuesday.

The Indian duo, returning to action for the first time since the Paris Olympics at the China Masters last week, had practised on Monday and was scheduled to face the Chinese pair of Chen Xu Jun and Guo Ruo Han in the opening round of the $210,000 event. However, they decided to give a walkover instead late on Tuesday evening even as the qualifying rounds in singles and mixed doubles main round kicked off at the Babu Banarasi Das Academy here.

While there was no official confirmation for the reasons for withdrawal, it is learnt that Rankireddy did not feel completely recovered from the shoulder injury that has been nagging him for a while now and the duo decided against playing here keeping in mind the upcoming season. The intensity of China Masters, a Super 750 event where the Indians reached the semifinals, also played a part in the decision.

Meanwhile, P.V. Sindhu, struggling with poor form all season and down to 19th in the world, will be hoping to find comfort in familiar surroundings as she targets a third title here. The 29-year-old, who lost in the Round of 16 at Paris, has failed to find form, losing in the quarterfinals at the Denmark Open, in the 2nd round at the Japan Masters and in the pre-quarterfinals at the China Masters.

She will be up against talented youngster Anmol Kharb who, at 17, has won the Belgium and Poland International Challenge titles so far this year. Others in the main draw include World No. 36 Malvika Bansod, seeded 2nd here, and Aakarshi Kashyap in what is a depleted field after several withdrawals.

In the men’s section, Lakshya Sen will begin his title challenge in the singles against Malaysian qualifier Sholeh Aidil, looking for his first triumph since the Canada Open in 2023.

The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist lost in the bronze medal playoff at the Paris Olympics and will be keen to answer questions on his mental toughness. Priyanshu Rajawat, who lost in the first round at the China Masters, is seeded second with compatriot Kartikeya Gulshan Kumar.

Results (mixed doubles, Rd 1, Indians unless stated):

B. Sumeeth Reddy/Sikki Reddy bt Sunjith Subramanian/TR Gowri Krishna 21-10, 21-18; Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto bt Han Yu Zhang/Li Jing Bao (Chn) 12-21, 21-15, 21-17; Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde bt Nithin HV/Anagha Aravinda Pai 21-14, 21-12; Rory Easton/Lizzie Tolman (Eng) bt Xun Liew/Pei Kee Go (Mal) 21-11, 18-21, 21-14; Zhi Hong Zhou/Jia Yi Yang (Chn) bt Sathwik Reddy Kanapuram/Viashnavi Khadkekar 21-9, 21-12; Chayanit Joshi/Kavya Gupta bt Bokka Navaneeth/Ritika Thaker 21-19, 22-20; Phuwanat Horbanluekit/Fungfa Korpthammakit (Tha) bt Ayush Agarwal/Shruti Mishra 21-14, 19-21, 21-17; Tien Ci Wong/Chiew Sien Lim (Tha) bt Venkat Gaurav Prasad/Juhi Dewangan 21-12, 21-10; Deep Rambhiya/Simran Singhi bt Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-15, 10-21, 23-21; Mohit Jaglan/Lakshita Jaglan bt Tarun Kona/Srikirhsna Priya Kudaravalli 19-21, 21-14, 21-11; Shaik Gouse/Maneesha K bt Nitin Kumar/Ridhi Kaur Toor 21-16, 12-21, 21-19; Vishnu Sreekumar/Aparna Balan bt Suraj Goala/Navdha Manglam 21-19, 21-11.