Dhruv-Tanisha, Ashith-Amrutha in Round-of-16 in Badminton Asia Championships 2025

Ningbo (China), April 8 (IANS) India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto made a spirited comeback, overcoming Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin to advance to the Round of 16 on Day 1 of the Badminton Asia Championships 2025 here on Tuesday. Dhruv and Tanisha got the better of their opponents 15-21, 21-12, 21-11 in a first-round match in mixed doubles competitions in the prestigious tournament.

After losing the first game, Dhruv/Tanisha, ranked 18th in the mixed doubles rankings, shifted gears in the second to take the match into a decider. The Indian duo then carried the momentum in the decider and beat the world No. 14 combine of Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin comfortably in the final game to progress in the competition.

Compatriots Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh also put on a dominant display, defeating Sri Lankan qualifiers Thulith Palliyaguru and Panchali Adhikari 21-9, 21-11 to advance to the pre-quarterfinal stage.

Meanwhile, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde won the first game but could not close out the match as they lost a hard-fought battle against Malaysia's Roy King Yap and Valeree Siow, 18-21, 21-17, 21-17.

In another match, Sathish Kumar and Aadya Variyath were beaten by third seed Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie of Malaysia 21-18, 21-19.

Indian fans' focus will be on the singles section, in which two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will lead the country's charge in the women's section, while Lakshya Sen, who missed a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics in 2024, will be the top contender in men's singles. Both of them are expected to start their campaign on Wednesday.

Sindhu had suffered an injury last year before she came back ahead of the Paris Olympic Games. She lost in the Round of 16 clash to He Bingjiao of China, the same player she had beaten in the 2020 Games bronze medal match.

At the end of the year, Sindhu won the 2024 Syed Modi International title, beating Wu Luoyu of China in the final. This was her third title at the Syed Modi International, making her the joint-most successful player in the history of the tournament.

--IANS

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