BWF US Open Day 1 Results: Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek sail through their opening round
India's first day of action at the BWF US Open was relatively peaceful. Taking to court on Tuesday, June 26, was Kartikey Gulshan Kumar for his men's singles qualification matches, while Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek played their round of 32 in the men's doubles main draw.
Kumar was the one who got the ball rolling for India, and he did it with a dramatic win. Playing Canada's Kevin Barkman for his first round, the Indian was dominant right from the beginning. In the opening game, he jumped ahead to a 6-1 lead and followed that pattern to seal the deal 21-6.
The next game saw Barkman put up more of a fight in the first half before Kumar pulled away 11-5 at the interval. He eventually won the match 21-9, needing just 26 minutes for the whole ordeal.
A couple of hours later, Kartikey Gulshan Kumar was back on the court at the US Open, this time battling qualification third seed Liao Jhuo-Fu. The battle between the 24-year-old and his Taiwanese counterpart began with thrilling intensity, as the duo exchanged blows back and forth before Jhuo-Fu clinched the first game 21-19.
The second game began with Kumar claiming three straight points, only for Jhuo-Fu to clamber back and even the scoreline. The story stayed the same for the first half, with the Indian leading at the interval. However, Chinese Taipei’s Jhuo-Fu injected a fresh burst of pace into the game post that interval, jumping ahead five points before taking the win 21-13.
In the main draw, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek were the sole Indians in action on Tuesday. The men's doubles duo is seeded sixth at the US Open, and had an opening round clash set up against Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds. The Indians won the match 21-14, 21-12, needing exactly 30 minutes to dispose of their opponents.
BWF US Open 2024: Full results at the end of day one (Indians Only)
Men's Singles Qualification Round of 16
Kartikey Gulshan Kumar (India) beat Kevin Barkman (Canada) 21-6, 21-9
Men's Singles Qualification Quarterfinals
Liao Jhuo-Fu (Chinese Taipei) beat Kartikey Gulshan Kumar (India) 21-19, 21-13
Men's Doubles Round of 32
Krishna Prasad Garaga/Sai Pratheek (India) beat Scott Guildea/Paul Reynolds (Ireland) 21-14, 21-12