Aakarshi Kashyap and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran Advance to Second Round at German Open Badminton 2024

Dara Singh Chahal

29th Feb 2024: Indian badminton players Aakarshi Kashyap and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran showcased their resilience and skill as they triumphed in grueling three-game battles to secure their spots in the round of 16 at the German Open 2024 in Mulheim on Wednesday.

Aakarshi Kashyap, ranked 43rd in the badminton rankings, demonstrated her mettle by overcoming world No. 79 Polina Buhrova of Ukraine in a thrilling encounter. Kashyap’s victory, with a scoreline of 23-21, 17-21, 11-21, was a testament to her determination and competitive spirit. Having recently clinched the Uganda International Challenge title, Kashyap’s relentless performance sets the stage for an exciting showdown against world No. 22 Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in the round of 16.

In a remarkable upset, Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, ranked 50th in the world, outplayed the 45th-ranked Misha Zilberman of Israel in a closely contested match. Karunakaran’s victory, secured with scores of 21-18, 19-21, 21-19, highlights his skill and perseverance on the court. He now gears up to face world No. 42 Nhat Nguyen of Ireland in the round of 16, poised to continue his impressive campaign at the tournament.

However, the journey concluded for Sankar Subramanian, ranked 69th globally, who faced a tough challenge against the 22nd-ranked Brian Yang of Canada, succumbing to a defeat with scores of 21-15, 18-21, 13-21 in the first round.

In other categories, Indian pairs faced formidable opponents, with Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh falling to Malaysian pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai in the mixed doubles, while Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda encountered a tough loss against the German pair of Amelie Lehmann and Cara Siebrecht in the women’s doubles.

As the action unfolds at the German Open 2024, Indian players continue to strive for excellence, aiming to secure crucial qualifying ranking points for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Stay tuned for further updates as Tanya Hemanth and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran-Aadya Variyath gear up for their upcoming matches, adding to the excitement and anticipation of the tournament.