As it happened, Swiss Open 2021, Day 2: PV Sindhu makes winning start, Saina Nehwal goes out fighting
PV Sindhu picked up a comfortable win in women's singles, but Saina Nehwal failed to progress. Swiss Open 2021 Day 2 highlights!
2:50 AM IST - Wrap for Swiss Open 2021 Day 2
It was a day of two halves for Indian badminton players at the Swiss Open 2021.
While Day 2 began with Kidambi Srikanth progressing to the second round at the expense of fellow Indian Sameer Verma, the likes of Sourabh Verma, Ajay Jayaram also picked up first round men’s singles victories early on. HS Prannoy was the only one who missed out.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men’s doubles and Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy win women’s doubles also emerged triumphant in their opening matches.
Though the second half saw PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth pick up comfortable wins in women’s and men’s singles respectively, it was somewhat marred by the exit of Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap, Lakshya Sen and doubles pair of M.R. Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.
The results still leave a sizeable contingent of Indian shuttlers vying on all fronts at the Swiss Open 2021.
Follow Day 3's Swiss Open action on Olympic Channel live.
2:45 AM IST - Confirmed Round 2 matches for Indian badminton players
Women’s singles
PV Sindhu vs Iris Wang (USA)
Men’s singles
Kidambi Srikanth vs Thomas Rouxel (France)
Sourabh Verma vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand)
Ajay Jayaram vs Rasmus Gemke (Denmark)
B Sai Praneeth vs Pablo Abian (Spain)
Men’s doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Rambitan (Indonesia)
Women's doubles
Ashwini Ponnappa/Sikki Reddy vs Amalie Magelund/Freja Ravn (Denmark)
Mixed doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Ashwini Ponnappa vs Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari (Indonesia)
2:40 AM IST - B Sai Praneeth ends the day for India on a winning note
Praneeth faces little trouble in the second game as well, as he wraps it up 21-11 as well.
Score: B Sai Praneeth 21-11, 21-14 Misha Zilberman
2:27 AM IST - B Sai Praneeth leads
B Sai Praneeth, seeded fifth in men's singles event at Swiss Open 2021, is in the driver's seat in his first round match against Misha Zilberman of Israel.
The Indian won the first game 21-11.
Score: B Sai Praneeth 21-11 Misha Zilberman
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2:00 AM IST - Kashyap's Swiss Open journey ends
Praupalli Kashyap, too, crashes out after a straight game loss to Pabli Abian in his men's singles tie.
He lost the second game 21-10.
Score: Parupalli Kashyap 15-21, 10-21 Pablo Abian
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1:50 AM IST - Parupalli Kashyap on the ropes
In the adjacent Court 2, Saina Nehwal's husband Parupalli Kashyap is also staring at a first round exit.
Up against Spanish shuttler Pablo Abian, the Indian has already lost the first game 21-15.
Kashyap has struggled with fitness of late, having had to pull out of both his first round matches at the two Thailand Opens due to injury,
Score: Parupalli Kashyap 15-21 Pablo Abian
1:47 AM IST - Saina Nehwal exits after valiant fight
What a finish!
As the early signs suggested, this one went down right to the wire.
After trading points, a couple of ill-timed slips by Chaiwan seems to have given Saina Nehwal the edge with a 19-17 lead. The Thai player, though, fought back to level it up at 20-20, before wrapping up the game 23-21.
Edge-of-the-seat badminton at Basel...
Score: Saina Nehwal 16-21, 21-17, 21-23 Phittayaporn Chaiwan
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1:34 AM IST - Saina holds slender advantage
For the first time in the match, Saina Nehwal is taking a lead into the mid-game interval. But the difference in score, again, is just a single point.
Serves to show just how closely-contested the tie has been.
It'll be a war of attrition and nerves to the finish line.
Score: Saina Nehwal 16-21, 21-17, 11-10 Phittayaporn Chaiwan
1:23 AM IST - Saina back on level terms
Saina Nehwal forces a third game!
The Indian was much more aware in the second game and did a lot of damage with her angular slices. A good bit of variation from Saina kept Chaiwan guessing. The game goes Saina's way with a 21-17 scoreline.
Do-or-die in the third game.
Score: Saina Nehwal 16-21, 21-17 Phittayaporn Chaiwan
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1:15 AM IST - Too close to call
At the second game's midway interval, the two players are exactly at the same position as they were in the first game.
Saina lost her way from this juncture last time around. Can she avoid the same fate and take the match into game 3?
Score: Saina Nehwal 16-21, 10-11 Phittayaporn Chaiwan
1:05 AM IST - Saina a game down
After the restart, Chaiwan pegged Saina back with her low dipping serves and made the most out of it to run away with a 21-16 victory in the first game.
Saina needs to return better in the second game to stay in the tournament.
Score: Saina Nehwal 16-21 Phittayaporn Chaiwan
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12:57 AM IST - Saina, Chaiwan neck and neck
There's been little to choose between Saina and Chaiwan in the opening phases.
The agile Thai holds a slender advantage over the London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist heading into the first game's break, but the Indian has largely held her own, dominating the mid-court area.
This one may go the distance.
Score: Saina Nehwal 10-11 Phittayaporn Chaiwan
12:10 AM IST - Remaining Swiss Open Day 2 matches involving Indian badminton players
Still plenty of action to come:
Women’s singles
Saina Nehwal vs Phittayaporn Chaiwan (Thailand)
Men’s singles
Parupalli Kashyap vs Pablo Abian (Spain)
B Sai Praneeth vs Misha Zilberman (Israel)
Stay tuned for live updates...
11:45 PM IST - Saina Nehwal vs Phittayaporn Chaiwan head-to-head
We return to Court 1 for Saina Nehwal's match against Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan.
The only time the two met before this was at the 2019 Thailand Open, where Saina scored a 21-17, 21-19 victory.
Saina also holds the advantage in terms of rankings. The Indian is world No. 19 currently while the Thai player is 31st.
Live action next....
11:37 PM IST - Arjun and Kapila's Swiss Open venture hits Russian wall
There was no way back for the Indians despite their best efforts to mount a comeback.
Arjun and Kapila goes down 21-18 in the second game.
Score: Arjun/Kapila 16-21, 18-21 Ivanov/Sozonov
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11:20 PM IST - M.R. Arjun/Dhruv Kapila vs Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov
Over at Court 3, Indian men's doubles pair of M.R. Arjun and Dhruv Kapila are up against Russia's Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov.
The Russian team, ranked 16th in the world, are seven seeds at the Swiss Open men's doubles.Ivanov and Sozonov have been dominant in the opening game, winning it by a comfortable 21-16 margin.
Score: Arjun/Kapila 16-21 Ivanov/Sozonov
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11:15 PM IST - Early exit for Lakshya Sen
Lakshya Sen crashes out from the Swiss Open after a straight-game loss to his Danish opponent in the first round.
The youngster opted to sit out of the two Thailand Opens in January owing to travel risks due to COVID and seemed to be feeling his way into the court during the match.
Score: Lakshya Sen 16-21, 12-21 Victor Svendsen
11:00 PM IST - Lakshya Sen trails in his first round match
Lakshya Sen is in action on Court 2 and has made a slow start against Danish opponent Victor Svendsen.
The 19-year-old lost his first game 21-16 and is staring down the barrel in the second game.
Score: Lakshya Sen 16-21 Victor Svendsen
10:56 PM IST - PV Sindhu wraps up her match in straight games
Yigit did put up quite a fight towards the end and a few unforced errors by Sindhu didn't quite help her cause. But the Indian stepped up at the right moment to fend off the Turk and won the second game 21-19.
Sindhu through to round 2.
Score: PV Sindhu 21-16, 21-19 Neslihan Yigit
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10:47 PM IST - PV Sindhu continues momentum
PV Sindhu looks firmly in control of her match. The Indian ace has looked very comfortable in the second game so far and is up three-points at the break.
It does seem Sindhu still has a couple of gears in reserve if she needs them. Very technical and decisive display by the Indian.
Score: PV Sindhu 21-16, 11-8 Neslihan Yigit
10:40 PM IST - Ponnappa-Reddy through to second round
Far stiffer challenge for Ponnappa and Reddy in the second game but the Indians fended off the German surge to win it 21-19.
Score: Ponnappa/Reddy 21-5, 21-19 Jaeger/Küspert
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10:34 PM IST - PV Sindhu takes the lead
After the restart, there was a bit of lapse of concentration on PV Sindhu's part, allowing Yigit a way back. But after the Turk brought the score level at 11-11, Sindhu buckled up to produce some fine shots to wrestle back control.
She eventually won the game 21-16.
Score: PV Sindhu 21-16 Neslihan Yigit
10:27 PM IST - Ponnappa and Reddy on a roll
Meanwhile, Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy have been exerting their authority on Court 4. The Indian duo thoroughly dominated their German opponents to win the first game 21-5. They seem good for the win in the second game as well.
Score: Ponnappa/Reddy 21-5 Jaeger/Küspert
10:22 PM IST - PV Sindhu on top
It's been fairly easy for PV Sindhu so far. The Rio 2016 silver medallist seems to be moving well in the court - an aspect which seemed a bit off in Thailand.
It's been more craft than power on show by the Indian ace so far, who made good use of her well-placed drop shots to pick up a lot of points. Sindhu leads 11-7 heading into the mid-game break.
Score: PV Sindhu 11-7 Neslihan Yigit
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10:12 PM IST - PV Sindhu on court
PV Sindhu has entered Court 1 for her match against Neslihan Yigit.
The Indian, ranked World No. 7 and seeded second at the event, will be favourite on paper against Yigit, ranked world No. 29 in BWF women's singles rankings.
After a disappointing run in Thailand, the 25-year-old Sindhu will be eager to start her campaign with a big win.
Live action next.....
9:55 PM IST - Ashwini Ponnappa/N Sikki Reddy vs Annabella Jaeger/Stine Küspert in women's doubles
The first Indian match on Court 4 will see the women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy face of against Germany's Annabella Jaeger and Stine Küspert.
Day 1 of the Swiss Open had turned out to be very different for both Indians as Ponnappa progressed to the next round of mixed doubles with partner Satwik while Sikki Reddy and her partner Jerry Chopra bowed out after a straight-game loss.
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9:30 PM IST - Second-round fixtures for Indian players
Meanwhile, a few second round fixtures have been confirmed for Indian shuttlers.
Men’s singles
Kidambi Srikanth vs Thomas Rouxel (France)
Sourabh Verma vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand)
Ajay Jayaram vs Rasmus Gemke (Denmark)
Men’s doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Rambitan (Indonesia)
Mixed doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Ashwini Ponnappa vs Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari (Indonesia)
More to follow....
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8:15 PM IST - PV Sindhu vs Neslihan Yigit head-to-head and trivia
PV Sindhu’s match against Turkey’s Neslihan Yigit is set to be India’s first women’s singles match in Swiss Open 2021.
The two have locked horns only once previously, a match Sindhu won in straight games.
Interestingly, the match was the quarter-final of the 2011 Maldives International Badminton Challenge. PV Sindhu, then just 15-years-old, went on to win the title marking the first-ever senior international gold medal of her career.
PV Sindhu had also beaten Carolina Marin in the third round of that tournament. Perhaps a bit of a nostalgic match for Sindhu?
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7:30 PM IST - Ajay Jayaram through to round 2
Ajay Jayaram upsets Sitthikom Thammasin in straight games to progress at the Swiss Open. The Indian won the match comfortably 21-12, 21-13.
Score: Ajay Jayaram 21-12, 21-13 Thammasin
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6:55 PM IST - Ajay Jayaram vs Sitthikom Thammasin in men's singles next
We return to men's singles action in a bit, with world No. 60 Ajay Jayaram facing off against Thailand's Sitthikom Thammasin (world No. 29).
The Indian is seemingly up against a major uphill task to progress. The two players will be squaring up for the first time in their badminton careers.
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6:15 PM IST - Chirag-Satwik amp it up in the decider
The Indians came up with a superb reply of their own!
Some good phases of play by the young Scots, but the Indians showcased consistent class and used their court presence and experience in good effect to see off what has been a spirited challenge from the Grimleys!
Score: Chirag-Satwik 21-18, 19-21, 21-16 Christopher/Matthew
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5:50 PM IST - Fabulous response from the Grimleys
Christopher and Matthew have responded splendidly after losing the first game. The Scottish team upped their tempo a couple of notches to disrupt the Indian team's rhythm and win the second game.
The Scotsmen didn't hesitate engaging the Indians in quick and short rallies, looking for early finishers - largely considered Satwik and Chirag's forte. Some top quality badminton on show here!
Score: Chirag-Satwik 21-18, 19-21 Christopher/Matthew
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5:30 PM IST - Change of strategy helps Chirag-Satwik take the lead
After the break, the Indian duo made slight adjustments to their gameplan, which reaped stellar results.
Both Indians concentrated on attacking the Scotsmen's returns near the net to reduce their oppositions' reaction time. Hurrying the Grimleys into making mistakes, Chirag and Satwik win the first game 21-18.
Score: Chirag-Satwik 21-18 Christopher/Matthew
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5:20 PM IST - Chirag-Satwik up against a challenge
The Grimley twins, despite 52 placed behind the Indians in the men's doubles rankings, have given the world No. 10 Indian pair a lot to think about. The Indians go into the mid-game break with a slender 11-10 lead but it has been too close to call.
Both sides are playing some high-intensity badminton with quick rallies. Brilliant athleticism on show from both sets of players.
Score: Chirag-Satwik 11-10 Christopher/Matthew
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5:12 PM IST - Sourabh Verma wins in straight games
Sourabh Verma continues his momentum in the second game against Christian Kirchmayr.
It was closely-contested, but the Indian shuttler maintained his ascendancy throughout the game to wrap it up 21-18. He won his match in 43 minutes.
Score: Sourabh Verma 21-19, 21-18 Christian Kirchmayr
4:50 PM IST - Sourabh Verma leads over at Court 3
Meanwhile, Sourabh Verma has seized the initiative against his Swiss opponent on Court 3.
In the first game lasting almost 18 minutes, the Indian came out on top by a 21-19 margin.
Score: Sourabh Verma 21-19 Christian Kirchmayr
4:40 PM IST - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in doubles action
In the first doubles match of the day involving Indians, the country's top-rated men's singles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be playing their first-ever match against the Scottish pair of Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley.
The Grimleys are twins and won the European Junior Championships together back in 2018.
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4:30 PM - Prannoy goes down
An early exit for HS Prannoy from the Swiss Open.
The Indian looked in good nick in the early phases of the deciding game and even led 13-11 at a time. However, it was the Dutchman who controlled the vital period after that, helped by some unforced errors by Prannoy.
Caljouw won the all-important third game 21-17.
Score: HS Prannoy 19-21, 21-9 , 17-21 Mark Caljouw
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4:22 PM IST - Sourabh Verma up against Swiss opponent
Over at Court 3, Sourabh Verma is all set to take on Switzerland shuttler Christian Kirchmayr. This will be the two players' first-ever meeting on the international arena.
Sourabh Verma's last win came at the Syed Modi International in December 2019. Can the Indian shuttler end the drought?
4:05 PM IST - Strong comeback from Prannoy
Brilliant response from the Indian after going a game down!
The Indian covered the court well and dictated the tempo of the second game from the get go, aided by his smart shot selection.
Prannoy dominated the second game from start to end to win it 21-9. The third game decides the match.
Score: HS Prannoy 19-21, 21-9 Mark Caljouw
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3:50 PM IST - Advantage Caljouw
Close contest so far!
After a close start, HS Prannoy edged ahead, taking a 15-13 lead. The Dutchman, though, stepped up at the right moment.
Some well-placed shots down the lines and a few unforced errors by the Indian saw Caljouw pick up he next seven points in a bunch to surge ahead 20-15.
Prannoy did rally to save four game points, but eventually went down 21-19.
Score: HS Prannoy 19-21 Mark Caljouw
3:10 PM IST - HS Prannoy vs Mark Caljouw head-to-head
Still with men's singles, HS Prannoy will be up against Netherlands' Mark Caljouw in Court 2 next.
Prannoy enjoys a 1-0 head-to-head lead against his Dutch opponent of the day, having beaten him in the 2017 US Open.
Ranking-wise only five places separate the two. Prannoy currently is world No. 31 while Caljouw is 36th.
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2:48 PM IST - Kidambi Srikanth claims comeback victory
Srikanth took control of the decider early but Sameer Verma fought back to level the score up at 7-7.
With the score at 14-11, Srikanth seized the initiative and picked up seven points on the bounce to comfortably win the third game 21-11. Srikanth moves on to the second round.
Score: Sameer Verma 21-18, 18-21, 11-21 Kidambi Srikanth
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2:27 PM IST - Srikanth takes the match to Game 3
Third game, it is!
Sameer Verma, again, started the second game strongly and raced to a 11-7 lead heading into the break.
Srikanth, however, wasn't going to go down without a fight. The 28-year-old upped his level to finally catch up to Sameer Verma at 17-17 and then pushed on to win the second game 21-18.
All to play for in the next game now.
Score: Sameer Verma 21-18, 18-21 Kidambi Srikanth
2:05 PM IST - Sameer Verma takes unexpected lead
World. No. 27 Sameer Verma is off to a good start against Srikanth, who is 14 places above him in the BWF men's singles ranking.
Sameer Verma was off the blocks and took a 11-5 lead heading into the first mid-game break of the match. Srikanth rallied to close down the gap after the restart bur Sameer Verma held out to win the first game 21-18.
Can he close the match out in the second game or is another three-game affair between the two on the cards?
Score: Sameer Verma 21-18 Kidambi Srikanth
1:45 PM IST - Kidambi Srikanth vs Sameer Verma in men's singles, head-to head
An all-Indian men's singles clash between former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma on Court 3 kickstarts India's matches on Day 2 of the Swiss Open.
The two players have met only once on the international stage in the past, with Kidambi Srikanth taking the win at the 2018 Denmark Open. Sameer Verma, however, pushed Srikanth to three games in the match and that too, only a few months after Srikanth rose to world No. 1 in April 2018.
The two players are on the court now for their Swiss Open clash.
1:30 PM IST - All Swiss Open 2021 Day 2 matches involving Indian badminton players
Women’s singles
PV Sindhu vs Neslihan Yigit (Turkey)
Saina Nehwal vs Phittayaporn Chaiwan (Thailand)
Men’s singles
Kidambi Srikanth vs Sameer Verma (India)
HS Prannoy vs Mark Caljouw (Netherlands)
Sourabh Verma vs Christian Kirchmayr (Switzerland)
Ajay Jayaram vs Sitthikom Thammasin (Thailand)
Parupalli Kashyap vs Pablo Abian (Spain)
B Sai Praneeth vs Misha Zilberman (Israel)
Lakshya Sen vs Victor Svendsen (Denmark)
Women’s doubles
Ashwini Ponnappa/N Sikki Reddy vs Annabella Jaeger/Stine Küspert (Germany)
Men’s doubles
M.R. Arjun/Dhruv Kapila vs Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov (Russia)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty vs Christopher Grimley/Matthew Grimley (Scotland)
Day 2 of Swiss Open 2021 promises to be a busy ride for Indian badminton fans. As many as 12 different matches involving Indian shuttlers are on the agenda.
The highlights will be the two matches in women's singles, involving PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal.
For Rio 2016 silver medallist PV Sindhu, it will be a nostalgic return to the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel - the venue where she became world champion in 2019.
PV Sindhu faces Turkey's Neslihan Yigit in her round 1 match at the Swiss Open and the world No. 7 will be favourite to go through.
However, having failed to impress during the two Thailand Opens and BWF World Tour Finals in January, PV Sindhu will have a lot to prove.
Saina Nehwal's opening match at the Swiss Open 2021, meanwhile, pits her against Thai shuttler Phittayaporn Chaiwan.
In men's singles, former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth begins his Swiss Open adventure against countryman Sameer Verma in an all-Indian first-round clash.
HS Prannoy, on the other hand, will square off against Netherlands' Mark Caljouw while B Sai Praneeth opens his campaign against Misha Zilberman from Israel.
In the doubles matches, all eyes will be on men's pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The duo plays Scotland's Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley in the first round.
Satwik won his mixed doubles match on Tuesday and will look to carry forward the momentum.
The Swiss Open 2021 also marks the resumption of the Olympic qualification window, points earned in Basel will count towards the players’ Race to Tokyo Rankings, which will ultimately decide which shuttler gets a ticket to play at the Tokyo Summer Games in July.