Changzhou: India’s mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa stunned Indonesia’s world no 7 combination of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in the opening round of the China Open badminton tournament here on Tuesday.
Rankireddy then paired with Chirag Shetty to beat the Canadian duo of Jason Anthony Ho-Shue and Nyl Yakura 21-7 21-18 in a 30-minute match to enter the men’s doubles second round. The Indian pair now face the fourth seeded Japanese duo of Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda. World No 26 Satwik and Ashwini showed their grit as they recovered from a mid-game slump to outwit the sixth seeded Indonesian pair 22-20 17-21 21-17 in a 50-minute match to enter the second round of the USD 1,000,000 World Tour super 1000 tournament. Jordan and Melati have so far reached five finals, including the 2018 India Open, but they wilted under the relentless pressure created by the Indian pair. (PTI)
