Thailand Open: Doubles pair of Satwiksairaj, Ashwini breeze into second round

Bangkok [Thailand], January 12 (ANI): Indian mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa kicked off the Thailand Open with a scintillating win on Tuesday.
The duo staged an upset in the first round as they defeated Indonesia's Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.
Satwiksairaj and Ashwini stunned the sixth-seeded opponents 21-11, 27-29, 21-16 in the opening round of the showpiece event.
Earlier, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal and badminton player HS Prannoy tested positive for coronavirus. Both players, who were competing in the Thailand Open, were taken to the hospital for further tests.
A walkover was given to Kisona Selvaduray of Malaysia, who was to play her first-round match of the Thailand Open against Saina on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Saina's husband Parupalli Kashyap was also been taken to hospital but his report status is not yet confirmed.
"Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy tested positive for COVID. They have been taken to the hospital. P Kashyap has also been taken to hospital but his report status is not confirmed yet," sources told ANI.
Last week, Saina had raised concerns over the fitness of the athletes after physios and trainers were restricted from meeting the badminton players during the entirety of their Thailand tour.
Saina had asked Badminton World Federation (BWF) to sort the mess as it was impacting the performance of the players on the court. (ANI)