Jakarta, June 3 (IANS) Indian star shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s Indonesia Open campaign came to an end early in the first round of the men’s doubles after the former was struggling with a right shoulder niggle.
The world no. 4 pair were trailing 6-11 in the first game against the Malaysian pair Kang Khai Xing & Aaron Tai when Satwik pointed to his right shoulder, which has been bothering him for a while, and the duo gave a walkover to their opponents on Wednesday.
“Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the Indonesia Open 2026 due to the former’s injury. The pair will now focus on recovery and rehabilitation as they prepare for the important tournaments ahead. We wish Satwik a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing the duo back on court soon,” BAI said in a statement.
Satwik’s recurring shoulder issue had previously led to the pair’s withdrawal from the Badminton Asia Championship earlier this year.
Last week, the duo battled back from a game down to defeat Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 18-21, 21-17, 21-16, becoming the first men’s pair from India to win the Singapore Open.
Meanwhile, the mixed doubles duo of Rohan Kapoor & Ruthvika Gadde started strong at the BWF Super 1000 event, defeating the world No. 20 Taipie pair of Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang to book their place in the next round.
On Tuesday, world No. 10 Lakshya Sen crashed out of the tournament after losing his first-round match to Alwi Farhan of Indonesia, while two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who returned to the top 10 for the first time since October 2023 this week, beat Thailand’s world No. 19 Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the first round.
In the men’s doubles, the Indian pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun upset Malaysia’s Tan Wee Kiong, a Rio 2016 men’s doubles silver medallist, and Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub in the opening round.
–IANS
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