Lakshya Sen in action during his R32 win at the Li-Ning Hong Kong Open 2025 ( Image: Badminton Photo)
Indian shuttlers enjoyed a strong outing at the Li-Ning Hong Kong Open 2025, with six players — Ayush Shetty, Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Kiran George, along with the women’s doubles pair Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda, advancing from their Round of 32 matches to secure spots in the pre-quarterfinals.
In men’s singles, the 20-year-old Ayush Shetty, title winner of the US Open, staged a comeback against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang. After conceding the opening game 15-21, Shetty bounced back to take the next two 21-19, 21-13 in a 64-minute battle, sealing his place in the Round of 16.
On the other hand in men’s singles contingent Kiran George outclassed Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-16, 21-11 in 34 minutes, while Lakshya Sen edged past Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei 22-20, 16-21, 21-15 in a marathon 73-minute clash. HS Prannoy continued his steady run, defeating China’s Lu Guang Zu 21-17, 21-14 in 44 minutes.
In women’s doubles, the Panda sisters dominated their Hong Kong opponents Pang Oi Ki Vanessa and Sum Yau Wong, securing a 21-17, 21-9 victory in 28 minutes to move into the next round.
Anupama Upadhyaya put up a strong fight against fourth seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in women’s singles. After conceding the opening game 17-21, Anupama came back stronger to win the second 22-20, before eventually going down 14-21 in the decider.
PV Sindhu, Rakshitha Sree, and the mixed doubles pairs Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto and Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani bowed out of the tournament on Day 2.
