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Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth was eliminated in the opening round of the 2025 German Open badminton tournament after a loss to fellow Indian Priyanshu Rajawat on Wednesday at the Westenergie Sporthalle in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
Srikanth, currently ranked 45th in the men’s singles, lost 21-14, 21-12 to Rajawat, who is ranked 37th. The match lasted just 35 minutes, and this marked Rajawat’s second victory over Srikanth in their two encounters.
Tharun Mannepalli, who advanced to the main draw after winning his qualification matches, also made it to the second round. He battled against Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen, losing the first game but recovering to win 10-21, 21-19, 21-19 in a match that lasted over an hour.
In the women’s singles, both Rakshitha Ramraj and Unnati Hooda reached the second round. Ramraj fought hard to beat Malaysia’s Kisona Selvaduray 22-20, 5-21, 25-23 in a closely contested match that lasted an hour and eight minutes. Hooda, who earned a spot in the main draw after winning her qualifier, cruised past Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 21-13, 21-17 to reach the round of 16.
However, Anmol Kharb was defeated 21-11, 21-14 by Japan’s Riko Gunji in the women’s singles.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto triumphed over Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde in an all-Indian match. They won 21-16, 18-21, 21-17 in an hour and two minutes.
The first day of the tournament also saw men’s doubles pair Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K win their round-of-32 match, defeating England’s Callum Hemming and Ethan Van Leeuwen 22-20, 21-19.
In women’s doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra achieved an impressive win, beating the third-seeded Ukrainian pair of Polina Buhrova and Yevheniia Kantemyr 21-18, 17-21, 21-18.
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