Kiran makes his chance count

Facing a higher-ranked opponent in the form of Yushi Tanaka, the Indian shutter operated with plenty of verve and displayed his capacity to withstand pressure.
Kiran George in action during his Round 1 match in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Kiran George in action during his Round 1 match in New Delhi on Tuesday.(Photo | BAI)
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CHENNAI: Until late Monday, Kiran George was not part of any equation for the India Open.

His name was included in the men’s singles main draw of the ongoing BWF Super 750 event at the eleventh hour, following the withdrawal of a couple of players including Malaysia Open winner Shi Yuqi of China and Antony Ginting of Indonesia.

Shi might have taken a much-deserved break after a deep run in Kuala Lumpur but Kiran seemed to have embodied the spirit of a champion shuttler in his absence. At least, on Tuesday.

Facing a higher-ranked opponent in the form of Yushi Tanaka (World No 25), the Indian shutter operated with plenty of verve and displayed his capacity to withstand pressure to post a significant 21-19, 14-21, 27-25 victory in the Round of 32.

As the score suggests, the match that lasted a gruelling 71 minutes was a see-saw affair. Both players pulled off some delightful shots to wow the crowd throughout the course of the tie. In the decider, Kiran had created some gap but Tanaka rallied to force a tie-breaker. In fact, Kiran missed three match points and survived three himself.

The Indian is pleased to be on the winning side. “It was a long gruelling match and I’m happy to come out on the winning side. It’s a good win and will give me more confidence. I got to know about my entry only yesterday (Monday) but I had reached here on Saturday because I was part of the reserves and I was prepared,” Kiran told this daily.

This might be just the first round but this is as good as gold for someone like Kiran at this level. Ranked No 38 in the BWF world rankings, Kiran, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, has been in the quest to establish his name at the elite level and this victory is a step in the right direction. As of now, he’s the fourth-highest ranked Indian in the world after Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy and Priyanshu Rajawat.

PV Sindhu in action during her Round 1 match in New Delhi on Tuesday | BAI
PV Sindhu in action during her Round 1 match in New Delhi on Tuesday | BAI

Kiran said that fitness is his No 1 priority. “For me, my focus is on the next match. In general, I’m just looking to stay fit and healthy and choose my events wisely,” he said.

With 45 Indians -- 28 entries across categories -- including Kiran, this home event was looked at as an opportunity for some of the lesser-experienced shuttlers (at the highest level) from the country to gain some valuable insights ahead of a long season ahead.

Sindhu, Sat-Chi advance

PV Sindhu began her campaign with a 21-14, 22-20 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo-yun. Having made a fresh start in her personal life, the recently-married Sindhu is hoping for the same in her professional life. Currently ranked World No 16, the double Olympic medallist has mostly struggled against the top-ranked players in the last twelve months or she is looking to turn things around, starting with this event.

On the day, Sindhu controlled the early tempo as her World No 24 opponent predominantly toiled in the opening stanza. In the second game, Sung course-corrected to push Sindhu until the end but the Indian maintained her composure to seal the match in her favour. “After a long break, it’s always difficult to find the rhythm but I’m happy to have won the match in straight games,” Sindhu, who’ll go on to face Japan’s Manami Suizu, told mediapersons after the match.

In the evening, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also advanced. But they were made to work hard by their opponents on the day, Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee of Malaysia. The former World No1 pair from India won 23-21, 19-21, 21-16.

Treesa-Gayatri out

However, it was curtains for women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Seeded No 5, the India duo were outgunned by their lower-ranked opponents on the day. Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto crushed their hopes with a 23-21, 21-19 victory. Meanwhile, the mixed doubles combination of Druv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto had to come from behind to post a 8-21, 21-19, 21-17 result over Chinese Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin-Hui in the Round of 32.

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