India Open 2025: Anupama Upadhyaya Wins All-Indian Battle Against Close Friend Rakshitha Ramaraj
NDTV
Malvika Bansod and Priyanshu Rajawat put up fights against higher-ranked opponents, but ended on the losing side.
Anupama Upadhyaya won the battle between two rising women's singles players while Malvika Bansod and Priyanshu Rajawat put up a fight against higher-ranked opponents but ended on the losing side in the opening round of the India Open 2025 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall here on Wednesday. Malvika saved two game points in the opening game and fought back from 7-14 to 16-16 in the second against women's singles third seed Han Yue of China before going down 20-22, 21-16, 21-11 in an hour and six minutes.
The comeback bid of Asian Games and World Championships bronze medallist H.S Prannoy was cut short by Su Li Yang as the 32-year-old Indian went down 16-21, 21-18, 21-12 in an hour and 13 minutes.
Rajawat saved a match point in the second game to force a decider against the 2023 world championships silver medallist and sixth seed Kodai Naraoka but could not avoid a 21-16, 22-20, 21-13 loss in a match that lasted an hour and 22 minutes in the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.
Earlier, the all-Indian clash between academy-mates Anupama and Rakshitha Sree Santosh Ramraj turned out to be a battle of wits between two good friends with experience triumphing the youth. Former National champion Anupama engaged Rakshitha in long rallies, not giving her many chances to use the big smash to win 21-17, 21-18 in 43 minutes to advance to the second round.
Anupama will now face Japanese sixth seed Tomaka Miyazaki, who recovered from the second-game slump to beat Thailand's Pornpicha Choeikeewong 21-7, 22-24, 21-9 in the first round.
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