Swiss Open: India's Ashwini Ponnappa-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy stun second seeds Faizal-Widjaja in first round

Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy lost 18-21 15-21 to the third-seeded English pair of Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith.

Press Trust of India March 03, 2021 13:26:06 IST
Swiss Open: India's Ashwini Ponnappa-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy stun second seeds Faizal-Widjaja in first round

Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. AFP

Basel: The Indian mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa stunned second-seeded Indonesian pair of Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in the opening round of the Swiss Open Super 300 tournament.

Satwik and Ashwini, who reached the semifinals of the Toyota Thailand Open Super 1000 event in January, notched up an upset 18-21, 10-21 win over the world No 8 pair last night.

The world No 19 duo had earlier defeated the Indonesian combination at the Yonex Thailand Open in a thrilling three-game match in January.

Satwik and Ashwini, who has been training under new foreign coach Mathias Boe for the last one month, will face another Indonesian pair — Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari — next.

Another Indian shuttler, Pranaav Jerry Chopra, who was returning to action after the COVID-19 break, didn't have a good outing as he along with his mixed doubles partner N Sikki Reddy lost 18-21 15-21 to the third-seeded English pair of Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith in 39 minutes.

Top Indian players, including world champion PV Sindhu, will start their campaign later in the day.

Swiss Open is the first event in the extended Olympic qualification period which will end on 15 June.

Updated Date:

Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro at ₹499 for the first year. Use code PRO499. Limited period offer. *T&C apply

also read

All England Championships 2021: PV Sindhu gets easy passage to quarters, tough draw for Saina Nehwal
Sports

All England Championships 2021: PV Sindhu gets easy passage to quarters, tough draw for Saina Nehwal

According to the draw released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday, Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will kick off her campaign in the women's singles with a clash against Malaysia's Soniia Cheah.

Saina Nehna biopic, starring Parineeti Chopra, to release in theatres on 26 March
Entertainment

Saina Nehna biopic, starring Parineeti Chopra, to release in theatres on 26 March

Parineeti Chopra's Saina debuts in theatres a week after the release of her other film, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.

Tokyo Olympics 2020: Badminton qualification period for Games extended to 15 June
Sports

Tokyo Olympics 2020: Badminton qualification period for Games extended to 15 June

The development came after the BWF decided to postpone two tournaments in Malaysia and Singapore Open from their earlier scheduled dates.