India’s campaign at the Victor Denmark Open 2025 Super 750 got off to a promising start, with impressive wins from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen, and the mixed doubles duo Dhruv Kapila–Tanisha Crasto, all advancing to the Round of 16.
While Satwik-Chirag had to dig deep to overcome early resistance from their Scottish opponents, Lakshya showed resilience to outlast Nhat Nguyen in a three-game thriller. Dhruv and Tanisha, meanwhile, were at their commanding best in a one-sided contest to set up a tougher second-round challenge. India’s top-ranked men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, had to shake off early rust before pulling through in their opening match. The second seeds and World No. 6 duo battled past Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley of Scotland 17-21, 21-11, 21-17 in a match that lasted just over an hour.
The Scots caught the Indians off guard in the opening game, capitalizing on Satwik-Chirag’s slow start and inconsistent net play. The Indian pair struggled to convert early leads and trailed 10–11 at the mid-game interval before errors at crucial points cost them the opener 17–21. The turnaround came in the second game, where Satwik and Chirag tightened their defense and began to dominate the flat exchanges. With their trademark attacking rhythm returning, the Indians stormed through 21–11 to level the match.
In the decider, the Grimleys continued to test the Indians with quick serves and placements, even leading 11–10 at the change of ends. But Satwik-Chirag showed their class post-interval, going on a blistering run of seven straight points to take control. Despite a brief scare when the Scots reduced a 19–12 deficit to 20–17, the Indians held firm to close it out 21–17.
It was far from their smoothest performance, but the win keeps Satwik-Chirag’s rhythm alive as they chase their second Super 750 title of the season.
🆚 Next: Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin 🇹🇼 (Chinese Taipei) former Olympic champions, in the Round of 16.
Lakshya Sen Battles Through Gruelling Opener
In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen showed grit and composure to defeat Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in a tense opening-round encounter. The World No. 15 Indian recovered from a sluggish start to win 10-21, 21-8, 21-18 in a match lasting 79 minutes. Lakshya looked out of sorts in the opening game, struggling to find his timing against Nguyen’s aggressive play. The Irish shuttler dictated rallies with sharp flat drives and quick net exchanges, racing to a 21–10 first-game win. But true to his reputation for fighting back, Lakshya regrouped brilliantly in the second game.
He tightened his defence, varied his pace, and began controlling the mid-court exchanges with clever placement and changes in tempo. His calculated approach paid off as he ran away with the game 21–8.
The decider turned into a gripping contest with neither player giving an inch. Nguyen continued to attack the forehand side, but Lakshya’s improved length and control forced errors at key junctures. Despite Nguyen closing in from 13–18 to 18–20, Lakshya held his nerve to seal the match with a sharp smash at the net.
🆚 Next: A Round of 16 clash against either Anders Antonsen (DEN) or Anthony Ginting (INA) both formidable opponents ranked inside the world’s top 10.
Dhruv–Tanisha Off to a Flying Start
India’s mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto made a statement in their opening round with a dominant straight-game win over Malaysia’s Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, winning 21–7, 21–14 in just 32 minutes. The Indian duo, who have been on a steady rise in recent months, completely outclassed their opponents with a blend of power and precision. Dhruv’s quick interceptions at the net combined with Tanisha’s strong drives and backcourt control ensured the Malaysians were never allowed into the contest.
The first game was one-way traffic as Dhruv-Tanisha raced to an 11–4 lead and kept up the pressure with relentless attack. In the second, the Malaysians put up more resistance, but India’s superior court coverage and coordination helped them wrap it up comfortably. The result gives Dhruv and Tanisha a valuable confidence boost ahead of a much tougher second-round encounter.
🆚 Next: China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, one of the most experienced mixed doubles pairs on the circuit and seeded in the top 8.
While the top names advanced, the rest of India’s contingent endured a tough start to their Denmark Open campaigns. In men’s doubles, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K. went down 13–21, 17–21 to Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han of Chinese Taipei in 34 minutes. Despite flashes of fight in the second game, the Indians couldn’t match the consistency of the Taiwanese duo in flat exchanges. In women’s doubles, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi were overpowered by Bulgaria’s experienced Stoeva sisters (Gabriela and Stefani) 4–21, 11–21, while the young mixed pair Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan fell 14–21, 11–21 to Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana and Indah Cahya Sari Jamil.
The results underscored the gulf in experience between India’s developing doubles players and the established European and Southeast Asian pairs, though the exposure at this Super 750 level remains invaluable.
Day 1 of the Denmark Open 2025 ended on a promising note for India, with three of the country’s leading combinations advancing.
- Satwik/Chirag will next face the seasoned Lee/Wang pairing from Chinese Taipei — a match that promises high-quality attacking badminton.
- Lakshya Sen faces a stern test against either home favourite Antonsen or top Indonesian Ginting, both of whom have historically pushed him to the limit.
- Dhruv/Tanisha take on Chinese duo Feng/Huang, in what will be a strong measure of their progress on the global stage.
With India’s top names navigating the tricky early rounds, the focus now shifts to consistency and conversion as the tournament deepens. As the action continues in Odense, fans will hope the Danish courts continue to echo with Indian chants led by SatChi’s flair, Lakshya’s grit, and Dhruv-Tanisha’s emerging chemistry.
