BWF China Open 2024 Day 2 results: Malvika Bansod stuns World No. 7 Gregoria Tunjung; Kiran George loses to Kenta Nishimoto after thrilling match
The second day of the BWF China Open 2024 at the Olympic Sports Center in Changzhou saw a mix of triumphs and heartbreaks for Indian shuttlers.
In a remarkable performance, India’s Malvika Bansod shocked the badminton world by defeating World No. 7 and Paris Olympics bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia in a closely contested match, while Kiran George narrowly went down in his men’s singles encounter against Kenta Nishimoto.
Ranked 43rd in the world, the 22-year-old Malvika Bansod pulled off a sensational straight-game victory over Gregoria Tunjung in the women’s singles opening round.
The match began with both players on equal footing, tied at 4-4 before Bansod surged to a commanding 14-6 lead. However, Tunjung fought her way back, leveling the score at 18-18. The two shuttlers were then locked in a fierce battle, with Tunjung holding game points on three occasions. However, Bansod held her nerve, saving each game point and then clinching the first game 26-24.
The second game saw the Indian shuttler maintain her momentum, racing ahead to a 12-3 lead. With Bansod sitting on match point, Tunjung staged a late comeback, narrowing the deficit to 19-20. But Bansod kept her composure and secured the final point, sealing her place in the pre-quarterfinals.
She will now face Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, a two-time Commonwealth Games medalist, in the next round.
In men’s singles, Kiran George showcased brilliant form against Japan’s World No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto, winning the first game in dominating fashion 21-4. However, Nishimoto regrouped and fought back in the second game, winning 21-10. The third game was a nail-biter, with the two shuttlers engaged in a neck-to-neck tussle throughout, but Nishimoto eventually edged past George 23-21 to win the match.
BWF China Open 2024: Complete results of Indian shuttlers in action on Day 2
While Bansod’s victory was the highlight of the day, the rest of the Indian contingent had mixed fortunes. In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian 15-21, 19-21, while Samiya Imad Farooqui was outplayed by Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour in a one-sided 9-21, 7-21 defeat.
In women’s doubles, the pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand fought hard but went down in a three-game match to Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Pei Shan and Hung En-Tzu. The scoreline of the match was 21-16, 15-21, 17-21. The Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, also lost in a three-game battle to Teng Chun Hsun and Yang Chu Yun with an 11-21, 21-16, 11-21 scoreline.
India’s mixed doubles duos also had a tough day. B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy were defeated by Malaysia’s Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing 10-21, 16-21. Meanwhile, Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath fell to Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 14-21, 11-21.