Rohan Kapoor, N Sikki Reddy make way to round of 32 in Badminton Asia Championship

Indian badminton players N. Sikki Reddy and Rohan Kapoor won both their mixed doubles matches in Group C to make their way into the round of 32 of the Badminton Asia Championships 2023 on Tuesday.

Sikki Reddy and Rohan Kapoor edged past UAE’s Dev Vishnu and Taabia Khan 21-15, 21-11, in their opening group match at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Al Nasr Club in Dubai. In the second group match, the Indian duo defeated Alvin Morada and Alyssa Ysabel Leonardo of the Philippines 21-17, 25-23, to seal their place in the next round as Group C toppers.

Sikki Reddy and Rohan Kapoor will face the Malaysian pair of Chan Peng Soon and Cheah Yee See in the round of 32 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Ashwini Ponnappa and B Sumeeth Reddy, who were directly promoted to the main draw, marched into the round of 16 after defeating the world No. 20 mixed doubles pair of Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet by a 21-16, 21-17 scoreline.

Among the other Indian shuttlers in action on Tuesday, the mixed doubles pair of Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan couldn’t advance to the round of 32. The pair lost their Group B opener 21-17, 18-21, and 12-21 against the Vietnamese pair of Van Hai Pham and Van Anh Than. The Indian duo, however, registered a fighting 18-21, 21-3, and 21-13 win over Nepal’s Prince Dahal and Rasila Maharjan in their second group match, but still, it wasn’t enough to seal their place in the next round.

Along with this, India’s Nithin HV and Poorvisha S Ram also failed to advance from Group D in mixed doubles with a similar one-win, one-lloss record. In the women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker, too, failed to progress beyond the group stage. Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker won their opening match in Group B, but a defeat in the second match was enough to seal their exit from the tournament.

On Wednesday, India’s ace women’s singles shuttler PV Sindhu will be in action against Chinese Taipei’s Wen Chi Hsu in the round of 32. In the women’s doubles event, the Indian pair of Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will open their campaign in the round of 32.