- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 17 Jul 2025 01:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Japan Open 2025: The Indian shuttlers had a disappointing day during the ongoing tournament on Thursday as India's top badminton players- Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eliminated from the Round of 16. These games ended in straight-set losses as none of the Indian shuttlers could last more than an hour. Sen lost to Japan's Kodai Naraoka, where the pair of Satwik-Chirag lost by 22-24, 14-21 to China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
Sen, who was the country's only hope of winning a medal at the Paris Olympics last year, had a flying start and gave Naraoka a stiff challenge during the first game. But Naraoka bounced back during the second game and dominated the rallies, and also pipped Sen, who was seen struggling and couldn't perform consistently.
India's men's doubles duo also faced a similar situation. Even though they had a slow start, Satwik and Chirag tried to dominate during the first game and also saved lots of game points, but eventually lost the first game by 22-24. But the Chinese duo bounced back during the second game by being dominant and kept the Indians on the back foot.
After losing multiple matches, India's campaign has been dealt a huge blow. A lot of senior players like HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu had already been knocked out of the ongoing tournament. All eyes would be on Anupama Upadhyay, who is the country's only contender left. She will lock horns with China's Wang Zhi Yi during the Round of 16 clash.
The overall performance of the Indian shuttlers during the ongoing tournament has been below par. The performance of some senior players has been quite concerning. The Indian contingent does boast of talented players, but their inability to score points at crucial stages and play matches for a longer duration has become a recurring issue.
As the tour progresses, the Indian badminton players will aim to bounce back in the upcoming tournaments.