BWF China Masters 2024 Day 1 Results: Anupama Upadhyay upsets World No. 15
India’s campaign at the 2024 China Masters got off to a mixed start today (November 19). While Anupama Upadhyay and the mixed doubles duo of Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy claimed hard-fought wins, Priyanshu Rajawat and Aakarshi Kashyap were shown the door in their first round itself.
The doubles duo of Reddy and Reddy were the first Indians on court today. They took on America's Presly Smith and Jennie Gai for their opening match, and were the favorites for the win. However, early in the first game it became obvious that the Indians would be required to put in some work if they wanted to come out on the other side unscathed.
The Reddys held on to win the first game 23-21, only for their lower-ranked opponents to come back 21-17 and force a decider. The final game saw the Indians flip the script on their opponents, and advance to the next round with a 21-17 victory.
Up next, Priyanshu Rajawat took on Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia on Court 3 of the Shenzhen Gymnasium. Rajawat went into the match trailing his opponent 0-2 in their head-to-head record, and added another loss to that tally today. While the two put up a great display, he eventually went down 22-24, 21-13, 21-18.
Meanwhile, in women's singles, Aakarshi Kashyap was up against Japanese teen sensation Tomoka Miyazaki. The 18-year-old put on a masterclass of a performance to take down the Indian 21-10, 21-18.
The highlight of today's action at the China Masters for Indian badminton enthusiasts was Anupama Upadhyay’s match against America's World No. 15 Beiwen Zhang. Upadhyay was the underdog going into the match, but put on a spectacular performance to outdo her higher-ranked opponent 21-17, 8-21, 22-20.
China Masters 2024: Full results at the end of Day 1
Results from the China Masters:
Men's Singles Round of 32
Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (Indonesia) beat Priyanshu Rajawat (India) 22-24, 21-13, 21-18
Mixed Doubles Round of 32
Sumeeth Reddy/Sikkim Reddy (India) beat Presly Smith/Jennie Gai (USA) 23-21, 17-21, 21-17
Women's Singles
Tomoka Miyazaki (Japan) beat Aakarshi Kashyap (India) 21-10, 21-18
Anupam Upadhyay (India) beat Beiwen Zhang (USA) 21-17, 8-21, 22-20