Japan Open 2024 Day 1 results: Indian shuttlers put up disappointing show 

The Japan Open 2024 saw a disappointing start for Indian shuttlers. All of India’s players in action on the opening day, Tuesday, August 20, were knocked out in their first-round matches.

India’s mixed doubles pair of Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath went down to Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati 10-21, 18-21. Despite giving a tough fight in the second game, it was not enough for the Indian duo, who had a stellar run before the Paris Olympics 2024, to get past the Indonesians.

India's campaign in the women's singles category at the Japan Open 2024 comes to an end

In women’s singles, all three Indian representatives, Malvika Bansod, Ashmita Chaliha and Aakarshi Kashyap, ended their campaigns early after facing tough draws in the Super 750 tournament.

Malvika Bansod took on Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova in a closely contested first-round match. After initially falling behind by four points in the first game, Bansod stormed back with seven consecutive points to take the lead. With the scores level at 7-7 and then 14-14, the two players were engaged in a neck-to-neck battle right till the very end. Bansod even reached game point at 20-19. However, Buhrova held her nerve to edge past the Indian 23-21.

The second game followed a similar pattern to the first, with the two engaging in a see-saw battle. However, in the end, Buhrova managed to eke out a 21-19 victory to claim the match.

Meanwhile, Ashmita Chaliha was up against former World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Though Chaliha showed flashes of brilliance, the experienced Tai proved too strong for the Indian and took the match 21-16, 21-12.

Aakarshi Kashyap, India's last hope in the women’s singles draw, also ended her campaign at the Japan Open after going down to South Korea’s World No. 15 Kim Ga Eun 13-21, 12-21.

India’s remaining shuttlers at the tournament will take the court tomorrow, Wednesday, August 21. India’s men’s singles players, Kiran George and Sathish Karunakaran, are set to face Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, respectively, in their opening encounters.

While India’s mixed doubles pair of N. Sikki Reddy and B. Sumeeth Reddy will take on Denmark’s Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund, the women’s doubles duo of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will battle it out against Denmark’s Julie Finne-Ipsen and Mai Surrow in their opening matches.