Indian Badminton Hopes Dashed Early at Denmark Open 2025

In a disappointing start for India at the Denmark Open 2025, promising young badminton players Ayush Shetty and Anmol Kharb were eliminated in the first round, according to a report from Olympics.com. The matches took place at the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense, where the 20-year-old Ayush Shetty, who is ranked 30th globally in men's singles, faced a tough opponent in France’s Toma Junior Popov, the world's No. 15.

Despite a spirited performance, Shetty was narrowly defeated with scores of 21-19, 17-21, 21-15, in a grueling match that extended for 77 minutes. Ayush, a US Open 2025 badminton champion, began confidently, matching Popov point for point in the initial game until the French star surged ahead.

Similarly, in the women’s singles category, 18-year-old Anmol Kharb, ranked 46th worldwide, faced the world No. 7, Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani. Anmol was swiftly overpowered with a scoreline of 21-9, 21-14, despite showing resilience to level at 14-all in the second game. In the doubles competitions, Indian teams also suffered setbacks, as both the men's and women's pairs exited the tournament early. The tournament sees further participation from Lakshya Sen and India's top men's doubles team, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who are set to begin their campaign imminently.