Birmingham, 05 March (H.S.):

India's top men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, crashed out of the All England Open 2026 in the round of 32 after a straight-games defeat to Malaysia's Aaron Tai and Khai Jing Kang on Wednesday.The world number four duo, who trailed for most of the opening game, mounted a spirited fightback to level at 20-20 and save two game points, but the Malaysians clinched it 23-21.

The second game proved one-sided, with the Indians trailing by seven points at one stage and unable to recover, losing 21-12 in a 42-minute contest.Disappointment extended to mixed doubles, where Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde fell 12-21, 15-21 to France's Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue in another 42-minute battle.

In men's singles, 20-year-old Aayush Shetty showed promise by taking the first game 21-19 against Indonesia's world number 14 Alvi Fathan, but faltered in the next two, losing 9-21, 17-21 to bow out of the tournament.India's campaign at the prestigious All England Open 2026 has begun on a sobering note, with key players exiting in the opening rounds.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar