SEOUL: Indian shuttler Satwiksairaj Rankireddy managed to feature in the Guinness World Record by striking the fastest smash in the ongoing Korea Open 2023 on Tuesday.
Satwiksairaj broke a decade-long record which was set in May 2013 by Malaysian Tan Boon Heong, who had produced a speed of 493 km/h with his smash.
Satwiksairaj broke the record by surpassing his speed by 72 kmph and registered a record-breaking speed of 565 kmph.
The third-seeded Indian men’s doubles team of Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty defeated 21-16, 21-14 Supak Jomkoh/Kittinupong Kedren of Thailand in order to advance into the pre-quarterfinals. Although they were behind in the second game, they came through to win the match in straight games.
Only Satwik and Chirag from India managed to win on the opening day of the competition.
Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, the other men’s doubles team, had to leave their match earlier due to an injury. Shashwat Dalal and Harshit Aggarwal did not advance from the qualifications.
The top singles players from India, including PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, and Kidambi Srikanth, will make their tournament debuts in South Korea on Wednesday. (ANI)