Unseeded Indian men’s doubles duo Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy pulled off one of the biggest victories of their careers on Wednesday, stunning China’s fifth seeds He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu to advance to the second round of the Arctic Open Super 500.
In a gripping 58-minute thriller, the Indian pair displayed remarkable composure after losing the opening game, eventually prevailing 10-21, 21-18, 22-20. Coming off back-to-back title victories at the Saint-Denis Reunion Open and the VI Mexican International Challenge in May, Krishna and Pruthvi proved their pedigree on the big stage by holding their nerves in a tense decider against the world-class Chinese combination.
Prannoy’s Slump Deepens
While the doubles performance provided a major highlight for the Indian contingent, veteran shuttler HS Prannoy experienced another setback in a difficult season. The 34-year-old Asian Games medalist crumbled against fourth-seeded Dane Anders Antonsen, falling 10-21, 9-21 in a one-sided opening-round encounter.
Mixed Results in Women’s Singles
The tournament has delivered contrasting results across the board for India:
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Tanvi Sharma kicked off her campaign with a clinical 21-15, 21-17 straight-sets win over Taiwan’s Chiu Pin Chian to advance to Round 2.
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Isharani Baruah saw her run come to an end after falling 10-21, 15-21 against top seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
Action Ahead
India’s singles campaign remains heavily active later in the day, with Tharun Mannepalli facing Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen, Rounak Chouhan challenging China’s Weng Hong Yang, and former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth squaring off against Canada’s Brian Yang.
