The top Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have pulled out of India Open 2023 owing to a groin injury to Satwik.

Defending champions Satwik and Chirag thrashed Scotland’s Christopher and Matthew Grimley 21-13, 21-15 on Tuesday to advance to the next round.

Chinese shuttlers Yu Chen Liu and Xuan Yi Ou got a walkover victory as the Indian pair pulled out.

This ends India’s challenge in men’s doubles at the Super 750 India Open. The second best men’s pair MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila had already pulled out of the tournament.

With PV Sindhu’s first round defeat adding to the woes, this year’s India Open has not been kind to Indian shuttlers.

More to follow…