Macau, July 29 (UNI) Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty breezed into the men’s doubles pre-quarterfinals at the Macau Open 2025 badminton tournament with a straight-games win here today.
Competing at the Macao East Asian Games Dome in Macau, China, the Indian pair dispatched Malaysia’s Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong 21-13, 21-15 in a dominant performance.
However, it was a mixed day for India in women’s doubles. Top seeds and Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand suffered a shock first-round exit, going down 16-21, 22-20, 21-15 to the unseeded Chinese Taipei duo of Lin Xiao-Min and Peng Yu-Wei.
Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra kept Indian hopes alive by edging past Chinese Taipei’s Ling Zih Huang and Wang Szu-Min 21-15, 16-21, 21-17 in a tightly-contested clash that lasted one hour and nine minutes. In contrast, Apoorva and Sakshi Gahlawat were ousted after a 21-8, 21-11 defeat to Malaysia’s Go Pei Kee and Teoh Mei Xing.
In the women’s singles qualification rounds, teenage shuttlers Anmol Kharb and Tasnim Mir booked berths in the main draw. Kharb registered a commanding 21-11, 21-13 win over Azerbaijan’s Keisha Fatimah Azzahra, setting up a tough opener against Thailand’s second seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
Tasnim Mir came through a gritty 21-14, 13-21, 21-17 victory against Thailand’s Tidapron Kleebyeesun to earn a first-round clash with world No. 5 and top seed Chen Yufei of China.
Meanwhile, no Indian player made it through the men’s singles qualification draw. But in men’s doubles, Dingku Singh Konthoujam and Amaan Mohammad advanced with a 21-18, 21-17 win over Hong Kong China’s Law Cheuk Him and Yeung Shing Choi. They will now face fellow Indians Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K in the main draw.
In mixed doubles, Hema Nagendra Babu and Priya Konjengbam defeated Chinese Taipei’s He Zhi-wei and Yan Fei Chen 21-17, 21-19 to enter the main draw.
India’s top names in men’s singles — Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya Sen, US Open champion Ayush Shetty and world championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy — will begin their main draw campaigns on Wednesday.
