Fullerton, 25 June (H.S.):
World Junior Championships silver medallist Tanvi Sharma and Thailand Masters champion Devika Sihag delivered impressive performances on Thursday to begin their campaigns with victories in the women's singles category at the US Open Badminton Tournament 2026.
Tanvi Sharma advanced to the second round after defeating Germany’s Yvonne Li 23-21, 21-16. Devika Sihag also secured a comfortable straight-games victory, overcoming Peru’s Inés Lucía Castillo 21-14, 21-14.
In an all-Indian men's singles clash, rising shuttler Raunak Chouhan booked his place in the next round with a 23-21, 21-16 victory over former World Junior Championships silver medallist S. Shankar Muthusamy.
Fifth-seeded Kidambi Srikanth also produced an impressive display, defeating fellow Indian D. Saneeth 21-14, 21-12 in just 30 minutes to progress to the second round.
In the women's singles event, Rakshitha Sree registered a convincing win over the Czech Republic’s Tereza Švábíková by a score of 21-15, 21-8.
In the mixed doubles category, India’s seventh-seeded pair of Dhruv Rawat and K. Manisha advanced to the next round after defeating Indonesia’s Wirawan Ihsan Adam and Serena Kani 21-15, 21-16. The Indian duo wrapped up the contest in just 26 minutes.
The strong performances by Indian players have reinforced the country's challenge in the tournament, with several shuttlers progressing to the second round and remaining firmly in contention for the title.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
