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India's star men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty endured another injury setback as their comeback at the Japan Open 2026 was cut short, while two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced comfortably to the second round of the BWF Super 750 tournament on Tuesday.
Returning to competitive action for the first time since last month's Indonesia Open, Satwik and Chirag were forced to retire midway through their opening-round clash against Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard after Satwik's recurring shoulder injury resurfaced, according to Olympics.com. The fourth-ranked Indian duo dropped a closely fought opening game 21-19 before deciding not to continue, bringing a premature end to their comeback. The reigning Asian Games champions had been sidelined from four tournaments after Satwik aggravated his shoulder during the opening round of the Indonesia Open. The latest setback comes just weeks after the pair snapped a two-year BWF World Tour title drought by clinching the Singapore Open crown in May. There was better news for India in the women's singles draw as world No. 10 PV Sindhu produced a commanding display to beat Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching 21-14, 21-11 in just 35 minutes. Sindhu dictated proceedings from the outset, establishing an early lead before capitalising on her opponent's unforced errors to take the opening game comfortably. The Indian carried the momentum into the second game, racing to an 8-2 lead before extending it to 11-3 at the mid-game interval. Wong struggled to find consistency throughout the contest as Sindhu wrapped up victory on her second match point, recording her third win in as many meetings against the Malaysian. India also enjoyed success in the mixed doubles competition, where Olympian Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila progressed to the second round with a convincing 21-16, 21-14 victory over Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson. However, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde bowed out in the opening round after suffering a 21-11, 21-10 defeat to top seeds and world No. 1 Chinese pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. India's campaign at the Japan Open will continue on Wednesday, with Lakshya Sen and rising youngster Unnati Hooda set to begin their singles campaigns in the first round. (ANI)
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