India’s top men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kicked off their Hong Kong Open Super 500 campaign with a hard-fought win on Tuesday, while singles shuttler Kiran George impressed by fighting through the qualifiers to reach the main draw.
Fresh off their bronze-medal finish at the World Championships in Paris, Satwik and Chirag continued their strong form in Kowloon. The pair overcame Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin in a three-game battle, winning 21-13, 18-21, 21-10.
The Indian duo, once ranked World No. 1, looked dominant in the opening game with aggressive net play and precise smashes. Although they allowed their opponents to level the match by dropping the second game, Satwik and Chirag reasserted control in the decider with a clinical performance.
In men’s singles, World No. 38 Kiran George secured his place in the main draw after two straight-set victories in the qualification rounds. He began with a confident 21-14, 21-13 win over Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei, followed by another composed performance against compatriot S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, winning 21-18, 21-14.
Sankar had earlier breezed past England’s Wang Yue Hang 21-10, 21-5 in his first qualifying round, but could not replicate that form against Kiran. With his spot in the main draw confirmed, Kiran will now face Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh in his opening round, a match that could shape his tournament campaign.
Meanwhile, the biggest upset of the day came in the form of 20-year-old Tharun Mannepalli’s sensational win over former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth. Tharun edged a tight first game 28-26 before cruising through the second 21-13, knocking Srikanth out in the very first round of qualifying.
However, Tharun’s giant-killing run came to an end in the second round, where he lost to Malaysia’s fourth seed Justin Hoh 21-23, 13-21, 18-21 in a gritty three-game encounter.
As the main draw action gets underway, Indian fans will have their eyes on Satwik-Chirag and Kiran George, both of whom showed early signs of sharpness and resilience. The Hong Kong Open offers vital ranking points and momentum ahead of bigger tournaments, and the Indian contingent has made a promising start.
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