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Indian women's doubles pair Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi began their BWF World Championships 2026 campaign with a straight-sets victory over Spain's Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Monday.
The Indian duo prevailed 22-20, 21-14 in the women's doubles Round of 64 to progress to the next stage of the tournament being held on home soil. Kavipriya and Simran were tested in a closely fought opening game, with neither pair able to establish a decisive advantage. The Indians, however, held their nerve in the closing stages to edge out their Spanish opponents 22-20. The second game was more comfortable for the Indian combination as they established control and converted their opportunities to seal the contest 21-14. Kavipriya and Simran will face Bulgarian sisters Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva in the Round of 32 on Tuesday. The victory completed a perfect opening day for India, with all five home entries winning their respective opening-round matches at the World Championships. Earlier, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan advanced in men's doubles after Ireland's Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds retired due to injury. The Indian pair had taken the opening game 21-16 and were leading 6-4 in the second when the Irish combination was forced to withdraw. They will next face South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also progressed after defeating Spain's Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-9. The Indian pair will meet Americans Lauren Lam and Allison Lee in the next round. PV Sindhu opened her women's singles campaign with a 21-7, 21-11 win over Ireland's Sophia Noble and will face Canada's Wen Yu Zhang. The biggest result for India came from Ayush Shetty, who stunned top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in the men's singles Round of 64. The 2026 World Championships are being held in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, marking the tournament's return to India after 17 years. (ANI)
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