Ponnappa-Rankireddy Enter Mixed Doubles Main Draw of China Open

Fuzhou (China): The mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa qualified for the main draw of the China Open Superseries Premier event after two fighting victories in the qualifying, here on Tuesday.

Ponnappa and Rankireddy got past Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Wu Ti Jung 24-22 21-7 before edging out the Danish combine of Niclas Nohr and Sara Thygesen 21-16, 19-21, 22-20. The Indians face another Danish duo, Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen, in the first round of the main draw on Wednesday.

The leading Indian players, including Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, will also be in action. World number two Kidambi Srikanth pulled out of the tournament with a muscle strain. "I am pulling out of China Open. It is a muscle strain and doctor advised me to take rest for one week. It happened in the Nationals but because I kept playing it got a little worse. But I should be okay in a week," Srikanth had said.