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The second day of action at the Arctic Open brought with it a string of lukewarm results for India. However, in the midst of all the disappointments, Tharun Mannepalli delivered an electric performance to upset Frenchman Toma Junior Popov.
Ayush Shetty was the first Indian out on court today. The rising star took on World Champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn for his opening round match. While Shetty put on a laudable display, he was eventually outfoxed by his Thai opponent 15-21, 16-21.
Soon after this the nation's shuttlers were dealt back-to-back blows, as Kiran George was forced to retire midway through his first round clash against Koki Watanabe, while Srikanth Kidambi handed a walkover to Dane Rasmus Gemke.
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Adding on to the disappointments was Lakshya Sen's loss to fourth seed Kodai Naraoka. The match between the Indian and the Japanese was expected to be a thrilling battle, but Naraoka was always one step ahead of Sen as he handed the Paris Olympics semifinalist a straight games defeat.
In the midst of all this, the star of the day at the Arctic Open was Tharun Mannepalli. The Indian youngster was up against World No.14 Toma Junior Popov for his opening round encounter in Finland. Mannepalli’s match got off to a slow start as he lost the first game 11-21. However, the Indian staged a resounding comeback to clinch a 21-11, 22-20 win and move into the round of 16.
2025 BWF Arctic Open: Full results from day two (Indians only)
Here is what the scoreboard looked like for India after the second day of action at the Arctic Open:
Men's Singles Round of 32
Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand) beat Ayush Shetty (India) 21-15, 21-16
Koki Watanabe (Japan) beat Kiran George* (India) 21-10, 4-1 (*retired)
Kodai Naraoka (Japan) beat Lakshya Sen (India) 21-15, 21-17
Tharun Mannepalli (India) beat Toma Junior Popov (France) 11-21, 21-11, 22-20
Christo Popov (France) beat Sankar Muthusamy (India) 21-17, 21-11
Rasmus Gemke (Denmark) won by walkover against Srikanth Kidambi
Women's Doubles Round of 32
Yeung Nga Ting/Yeung Pui Lam (Hong Kong) beat Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi (India) 21-9, 21-13
