India Open 2025 kicked off with a decent fan turnout despite Delhi’s cold. Action on Day 1 was thrilling as India’s best badminton players left it all on the field in front of their home crowd. It was a day full of highs and lows. While PV Sindhu, the duos of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto registered wins in the first round, there was also disappointment for Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela in women’s doubles as they exited the tournament in the first round for second time in a row at the India Open.
Sat-Chi’s grit becomes the highlight of the day
India’s ‘Brothers of Destruction’ Satwik and Chirag began their India Open campaign with a gritty performance, with multiple falls — one even resulting in Chirag losing his weapon — the duo showcased one of their strongest performances against Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong and Kai Won Tee. After taking the first game 23-21, the Indian pair had to fight back after losing the second 19-21. However, they bounced back strongly in the third, securing a 21-16 victory to move on to the next round.
“Malaysia has always been formidable, they defended quite well. It was quite difficult to penetrate their defence, unlike the previous times. Happy that we could regroup and get the win in the third game,” said Chirag after the first round win.
“He told me to focus on myself and not think too much. He (Tan Kim Her) has always been a very positive coach, even when we lost the second game he came and told us that we were playing really well. It gave us a lot of confidence,” added Satwik.
Sindhu Returns to Winning Ways
Moving on to the other highlight of the day, in the women’s singles category, Sindhu looked confident and comfortable as she made a return to competitive action after a month-long break. The Indian was in complete control of the match and emphasised that she planned on winning the match in two games, dispatching Taiwan’s Shuo Yun Sung 21-14, 22-20.
“I came back after a break of one month, there was not much of a strategy, just to play easy and play well,” said Sindhu after the match. “We have just started working together. The bond between a player and a coach is very important. It will take time to understand and build the connection, it’s taking time, but it’s going on well and it’s a great start to the season,” added Sindhu about her dynamics with Indonesia’s Irwanshya, the newly appointed singles coach.
Treesa and Gayatri Fall in the First Round
It was a tough day for India’s top women’s doubles pair. Treesa and Gayatri were knocked out in the first round for the second consecutive year at the India Open. Despite their World No. 10 ranking and promising performances in the recent past, they were defeated by Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto 21-23, 19-21.
“We’re disappointed about the match and that we couldn’t be in the second round. There were a few errors that happened from my end, I will be careful of them going forward. These are all learnings.” said a dejected Treesa after the match.
“Last year was amazing, starting off with the Malaysia Open, we played well. But wins and losses happen and we will look to come back stronger in future tournaments.” added Gayatri.
As Day 1 came to a close, the Indian contingent had its share of wins and losses. Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto’s mixed double victory, Kiran George progressing to the next round of men’s singles, and a women’s double first round win from Shikha Gautam-Aditi Bhatt were some of the highlights. As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on the Indians as they look to continue their momentum.