Bwf Indonesia Open Round-up | Ashiwni Ponnappa, N Sikki Reddy bow out in first round

Sikki Reddy and Ponnappa were against a tricky opponent and Malaysia’s Hoo and Wen made it known in the very first game that they weren’t a pushover. The gruelling match went on for one hour and fifteen minutes with all the four athletes giving their all.

The first game went to the Malaysian duo 22-20 as Ponnappa and Sikki missed out by a whisker. However, they made up for their first game mistakes with a win on the second as the scoreline stayed identical, only to their advantage this time. The decider was expected to be a thrilling one and they didn’t disappoint either as it went right down to the wire and quite unbelievably another 22-20 point win for the Malaysian.

After the women’s pair was out of the competition in the first round itself, it was men’s World No. 20 pair of Rankireddy and Shetty taking on yet another Malaysian pair in Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin. Coming into the match as the favourites, the duo won the first game 21-19 before losing the second one 18-21. However, their preserved energy buoyed them to seal the match in the third game that they won 21-19.

In the mixed doubles, Chopra and Sikki Reddy took on the Netherland’s Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek, which turned out to be yet another thrilling encounter. After the Indian pair were stretched to their limits to win the first game 23-25, they had to play the second fiddle to lose the second one 16-21. However, their risk paid off as the Indian pair went on to win 21-19.