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The first day of the Denmark Open Super 750, taking place in Odense, Denmark, saw PV Sindhu and Aakarshi Kashyap as the only Indian shuttlers to advance to the second round.
Just before the tournament, several shuttlers, including India’s top-ranked women’s doubles pair of Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, pulled out due to various reasons. This left Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Aakarshi Kashyap as the only Indian players in the Super 750 event.
Aakarshi Kashyap, ranked 41st in the world, was pushed from the reserve list and given entry into the main draw of the tournament following World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi's withdrawal. The 22-year-old faced off against Germany's Li Yvonne, who is ranked 23rd.
Aakarshi found herself trailing as she lost the first game 10-21. However, the shuttler staged a remarkable comeback, winning the next two games 22-20 and 21-12. Kashyap will face higher-ranked Thai player Supanida Katethong in the second round.
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, riding high from her recent performance at the Arctic Open, faced a tough challenge from 28th ranked Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland. In a grueling encounter that lasted 56 minutes, Sindhu secured a 21-14, 18-21, 21-10 victory in the opening round.
Sindhu will now take on seventh-seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung from Indonesia.
While the Indian shuttlers secured wins in the women’s singles category, it was a different story in the men’s singles.
Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth fought valiantly in his first-round encounter against China's Weng Hong Yang, but the 2019 India Open silver medalist eventually lost 21-19, 10-21, 16-21.
Lakshya Sen, the 2021 world championship bronze medalist, also couldn't pass the opening hurdle, suffering a 16-21, 18-21 loss to Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
The Indian doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Sathwiksairaj Rankireddy, who were expected to play at the Denmark Open also pulled out, giving their Malaysian opponents, Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, a walkover.
Denmark Open 2023: Results at the End of Day One (Indians Only)
Women's Singles
PV Sindhu (India) beat Kirsty Gilmour (Scotland) 21-14, 18-21, 21-10
Aakarshi Kashyap (India) beat Li Yvonne (Germany) 10-21, 22-20, 21-12
Men's Singles
Weng Hong Yang (China) beat Srikanth Kidambi (India) 21-19, 10-21, 16-21
Kantaphon Wangcharoen (Thailand) beat Lakshya Sen (India) 16-21, 18-21
