India’s campaign at the Canada Open Super 300 concluded on a disappointing note in Markham, Ontario, with Aakarshi Kashyap and Tanya Hemanth suffering second-round defeats in the women’s singles competition. Despite flashes of promise, the Indian shuttlers were unable to overcome higher-ranked opponents, bringing an end to the country’s challenge at the tournament.
The Canada Open formed an important stop on the BWF World Tour as players looked to build momentum ahead of a demanding stretch of international competitions. For India, the tournament offered an opportunity for emerging players to collect valuable ranking points and test themselves against quality opposition. However, the campaign ended earlier than expected after the last two remaining Indian contenders bowed out on Thursday.
World No. 71 Aakarshi Kashyap came closest to extending India’s stay in the competition. Facing fourth seed and world No. 33 Beiwen Zhang of the United States, the Indian produced one of her most competitive performances of the season before losing 20-22, 21-17, 21-17 in a closely contested encounter lasting one hour and seven minutes. Aakarshi began confidently, dictating rallies with aggressive shot-making and opening a four-point advantage midway through the opening game.
Although Zhang gradually fought her way back into the contest, the Indian remained composed and pushed the first game to the wire before narrowly missing out. The second game followed a different pattern as the experienced American established an early lead. Aakarshi refused to surrender, reducing the deficit with a late comeback, but Zhang maintained enough composure to force a deciding game.
The final game turned into a battle of endurance, with both players matching each other point for point until the score was locked at 17-17. At that stage, Zhang demonstrated her experience under pressure, claiming the final four points consecutively to complete the comeback and book her place in the quarterfinals. The defeat also extended Aakarshi’s head-to-head record against the American to 0-3.
Earlier in the day, Tanya Hemanth’s campaign came to an end after she was outclassed by Japan’s third seed Riko Gunji. Gunji, currently among the highest-ranked young players on the BWF circuit, dominated from the opening exchanges to secure a convincing 21-11, 21-11 victory in just 31 minutes. The result marked Tanya’s second successive defeat against Gunji in as many weeks after the Japanese player had also knocked her out in the opening round of the US Open.
While Tanya had impressed with her opening-round victory over American shuttler Disha Gupta, she found little answer to Gunji’s pace, precision and consistency in the second round. The exits of Aakarshi and Tanya officially ended India’s challenge at the Super 300 tournament after an overall difficult week for the contingent.
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, who entered the event on the back of an encouraging runner-up finish at the US Open, was forced to retire during his second-round clash against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia because of a fitness issue. Srikanth had been trailing 10-11 in the opening game before deciding to withdraw after consulting with his coach, raising concerns ahead of the upcoming Asian swing.
India’s young contingent also struggled to make deep runs. Devika Sihag, Rakshitha Ramraj, Anmol Kharb, Shriyanshi Valishetty, Saneeth Dayanand and Sankar Subramanian all exited during the opening rounds despite showing glimpses of their potential against experienced international opponents.
The country’s only men’s doubles pairing of Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Arjun Reddy Pochana also suffered an early elimination, leaving India without representation in the doubles competition.
Although the results were disappointing, Aakarshi’s spirited performance against a top-35 opponent offered encouragement. The Bengaluru-based shuttler has steadily climbed the world rankings over the past two seasons and continues to establish herself as one of India’s promising women’s singles players. Likewise, Tanya Hemanth’s qualification for the second round reflected the progress she has made on the international circuit despite facing a difficult draw.
The focus for the Indian squad now shifts to the prestigious Japan Open Super 750, scheduled to be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium from July 14 to July 19. Featuring a significantly stronger field and a prize purse of USD 950,000, the tournament will provide another major test for India’s shuttlers as they continue preparations for the latter half of the BWF World Tour season.
