India Open: Lakshya Sen, Treesa-Gayatri start with dominant wins

Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen and the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand began their India Open campaigns with straight-game victories over their respective opponents on Tuesday in New Delhi.

Indian Shuttlers Begin Campaign with Victories

India's Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen started off his India Open campaign with a win over compatriot Ayush Shetty on Tuesday. In his match against the young Indian shuttler, who secured the US Open title last year, Lakshya was extremely clinical and gave him very few chances, winning the match within two games by 21-12, 21-15.

Also, the eighth-ranked women's doubles pair, the Commonwealth Games silver medalist Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, beat Thailand's Ornnicha Jonggsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai 21-15, 21-11.

The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K crashed out in the first round, while the women's doubles pair of Priya Konjegbam and Shruti Mishra also met the same fate.

Star-Studded Tournament Kicks Off in Delhi

The India Open 2026, a World Tour Super 750 tournament, is being played from January 13-18. It serves as a dress rehearsal for the prestigious World Championships 2026, with badminton action moving to the much larger multi-purpose hall in the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, ensuring fans a significantly improved viewing experience.

Just like every year, this edition of the India Open has attracted the world's best badminton players, including World Champions Shi Yu Qi of China, women's world no. 1 An Se Young and BWF World Tour Finals champion Christo Popov. A total of 256 players from 20 countries will be in action over the next five days, with Chinese Taipei sending the biggest contingent of 36 shuttlers. (ANI)

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