Women’s doubles quarter-final lineup: Treesa / Gayatri will take on world No 52 Li Wenmei / Liu Xuanxuan. The Chinese are a relatively new pairing but in lieu of being a women’s doubles pairing from China, are automatically dangerous, I’d say. Botu Li and Liu have been in the top 20 in the past with different pairs. And are currently the top-ranked women’s doubles pair on the 2023 World Tour rankings. Still, what a huge chance for the Indian youngsters to return to the semifinal.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 21-17 Prannoy: Ginting prevails! Flick serve from Prannoy but he cannot follow up on the return. End of a lovely contest.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 20-16 Prannoy: Ginting is out of challenges as Prannoy saves one match point.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 20-15 Prannoy: Good smash from HSP. Has the serve back, but not for long. Match points for Ginting.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 19-14 Prannoy: Run of five straight points! What a time for it for Ginting.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 17-14 Prannoy: Oh dear. Strings gone for Prannoy as he went for the kill.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 15-14 Prannoy: WHAT A RALLY! Terrific flat exchange followed by smash from The Indonesian.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 14-14 Prannoy: Two superb points from Prannoy, first killed with a lovely smash and the second a bit more nuanced.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 15-21 Naraoka: The rising star is shining at All England. Straight games win for Naraoka against Srikanth,

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 15-18 Naraoka: How frustrating it must be to play a perfect rally and then sending the shuttle wide going for kill? Srikanth knows it quite well. At a critical point again.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 14-11 Prannoy: Ginting staying ahead. Prannoy loses a review. Might have been tactical that one.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 12-10 Prannoy: Lovely evasive move by Prannoy to get the serve back after the break. Needs a run of points soon.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 11-9 Prannoy: Good point by Ginting at the net and he takes a small but handy lead into the final change of ends.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 14-17 Naraoka: Hope for Srikanth? Naraoka wins a crucial point to get the serve back.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 10-9 Prannoy: HSP with a good defensive point. And follows that up with a superb straight smash.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 10-7 Prannoy: Prannoy starting to fall back a bit.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 12-16 Naraoka:A marathon 54-shot rally that ends with a Srikanth error. Had he gotten that point, could have been very interesting.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 9-6 Prannoy: Oh misjudgment from Prannoy. And suddenly a good lead for Ginting.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 6-6 Prannoy: Ginting had a service fault earlier and now it’s Prannoy. Nerves from both players.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 5-5 Prannoy: Ginting loses a review as Prannoy lands the shuttle perfectly on the line.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 10-15 Naraoka: Finish line in sight for Naraoka.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21, 4-4 Prannoy: The point below was the longest rally of the match so far at 30 shots. Soon enough we are level at 4-4.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-21 Prannoy: Converts the 2nd game point and we have a decider.

“Match pace, stay with him, make him give you points”: Gurusaidutt tells Prannoy

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 6-9 Naraoka: Srikanth closes the gap a tad bit.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 15-20 Prannoy: One game point saved. Surely not again?

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 14-20 Prannoy: Never mind. Ginting with a crosscourt error and game points for Prannoy.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 14-19 Prannoy: Well well. Another really good rally and Ginting closes the gap down.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 12-17 Prannoy: Super smash and a net cord that goes his way.. Ginting clawing back.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21, 2-6 Naraoka: Kodai comfortably placed in this match at the moment.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 10-17 Prannoy: Perhaps Ginting too knows a decider is on the cards. Trying some fancy stuff at the moment and making errors.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 10-14 Prannoy: Prannoy would do well to not let Ginting get on a run here. Slow things down if need be... and as I say that he ups the pace and gets the serve back.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21 Naraoka: here’s how the opening game unfolded.

MS R16, Srikanth 17-21 Naraoka: Srikanth closed the gap down but Naraoka pulled ahead to take the lead.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 6-11 Prannoy: Prannoy has a decent lead in the 2nd game. Can he take this to a decider?

MS R16, Srikanth 17-19 Naraoka: Srikanth nearly drew level there but great play from Naraoka to inch ahead.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 4-8 Prannoy: Uff fabulous round-the-head winner from Prannoy. And he stays ahead in this game.

MS R16, Srikanth 15-17 Naraoka: Srikanth staying within touching distance.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20, 2-5 Prannoy: Might be tough to bounce back from losing a game like that but Prannoy’s resolve is strong. He has a slender lead early one here.

MS R16, Srikanth 12-14 Naraoka: Srikanth staying in touch with Naraoka.

MS R16, Ginting 22-20 Prannoy: BRILLIANT FROM GINTING! Five straight points from 17-20 and he takes the opening game.

MS R16, Ginting 21-20 Prannoy: Oof, that is some series of points by Ginting. Game point now.

MS R16, Ginting 20-20 Prannoy: Outstanding 1-2 from Ginting and we are level.

MS R16, Ginting 19-20 Prannoy: Oh terrific rally! Brilliant from both players, Prannoy did brilliantly with defence to stay in and nails the straight smash. Game points for HSP but ASG saves one with a lovely net play... saves another with a brutal smash.

MS R16, Ginting 17-19 Prannoy: Oh good rally, But Prannoy misses the attempted crosscourt at the net.

MS R16, Srikanth vs Naraoka: The Japanese youngster leads 11-6 at the mid-game interval.

MS R16, Ginting 16-18 Prannoy: First an error that Ginting would regret and then Prannoy’s turn to make one similar. It’s been a bit on and off from both players.

MS R16, Ginting 14-15 Prannoy: And Prannoy into the lead. A Great review in there too.

Men’s singles R16, Kidambi Srikanth vs Kodai Naraoka: The final Indian match is also underway. A tough one for Srikanth against one of the best players on the circuit right now. This is their first meeting. Srikanth trails 4-8.

MS R16, Ginting 11-10 Prannoy: Anthony Ginting takes the lead into the mid-game interval, but the smallest possible margin. Good even tussle as expected.

MS R16, Ginting 10-10 Prannoy: Another fist-pump from Prannoy after a lift lands in and a review wasted by Ginting.

MS R16, Ginting 9-9 Prannoy: There we go, Prannoy’s start deserved to be at least level pegging with Ginting.

MS R16, Ginting 8-6 Prannoy: Terrific backhand defence from Prannoy sets up a point for him that he was on the backfoot for.

MS R16, Ginting 5-4 Prannoy: The Indonesian got ahead to a good start but Prannoy closes the gap from 1-5 down to one point.

Men’s singles R16, HS Prannoy vs Anthony Ginting: Time for the fourth meeting between these two wonderful attacking players, should make for a good contest. Prannoy is world No 7, Ginting ins world No 3.

Time for HS Prannoy vs Anthony Ginting.

Video: Viktor Axelsen in tears as he comes to terms with his defeat.

Srikanth will be on court 2 after the men’s doubles coming up. Prannoy will be on Court 1 after this women’s singles match.

Gayatri Gopichand: “I like the progress”

Men’s singles: Axelsen out! WOW. WOW. WOW. Ng Tze Yong (who Indian fans will be familiar for how good he was at CWG 2022) has defeated Viktor Axelsen at All England. Axelsen had played in the last FOUR finals here! Out in R16. Sensational finish to that match

Men’s singles: Two super shots from Ng Tze Yong and he has a match point of his own.

Men’s singles: UNBELIEVABLE. What a rally, 53 shots and Axelsen has a match point! He was 15-19 down. WOW. And now it is 20-20. Ng Tze Yong doing everything he can to hang in there.

Men’s singles: WOWW! What a time to play the longest rally of the match. 53 shots. And Axelsen has a match point! MADNESS.

Men’s singles: Axelsen makes it 17-19!

Men’s singles: Two points away from going out, Axelsen.

This is getting interesting.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 15-21 Anders Antonsen: And Anders Antonsen reverses the result from 2022. Lakshya will be dropping more points from his rankings, after earlier than last year exits at German Open and All England Open.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 15-20 Anders Antonsen: Match points for Antonsen.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 15-19 Anders Antonsen: Sen gets the serve back but this seems all but done. The Indian has just missed a fair few kill shots.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 13-15 Anders Antonsen: Wow another massive rally, ends with another Sen error. This is great to watch for a neutral but frustrating for an Indian fan.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 13-14 Anders Antonsen: We are level in this game. Sen losing his way a bit. Not able to close out the longer rallies. Antonsen in the lead now as the Indian rushes a kill at the net.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 13-12 Anders Antonsen: What a brutal rally! After pacy exchange at the start, both of them just exchanging clears and then boom, a crosscourt winner from Antonsen. SIXTY SHOTS!

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 13-11 Anders Antonsen: Lakshya gets a timely gift. Service error.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 12-10 Anders Antonsen: Lakshya wins another gruelling rally. This is so good from both players.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 11-10 Anders Antonsen: Lakshya Sen is finding his groove. A 11-5 lead for the Indian in the 2nd game interval. But signs of a fightback by Antonsen and Lakshya has lost both his reviews.

Meanwhile, Viktor is trailing. Again.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 11-5 Anders Antonsen: Sen wins a point he had no business winning. All defence for 36 shots and the error comes from Antonsen in the end.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 9-4 Anders Antonsen: Oh nice idea by Antonsen with a deception attempted to go down the line instead of crosscourt but it goes long.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 8-3 Anders Antonsen: Commentator reckons Lakshya is hitting with the drift while AA is hitting into the drift. This is even more impressive from Lakshya if that’s the case. It is one of the areas Vimal wanted him to improve. He is playing so well at this moment.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 4-1 Anders Antonsen: Couple of “that’s it!” from Sen’s coaching chairs (not sure Anup Sridhar or Vimal Kumar) but they like what they see early on in game 2 from the Indian.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21, 1-0 Anders Antonsen: Can Sen find his rhythm at the start here?

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-21 Anders Antonsen: Lakshya Sen didn’t really put up much of a fight in the last few points there. The Dane takes the lead in this battle of former top 10 players.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-20 Anders Antonsen: So casual from Sen there. Let’s the shuttle drop in after a decent rally. Game points.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-19 Anders Antonsen: Superb rally! Sen did so well to defend and stay in the point, Antonsen tried a few flicks and tricks and then gets the winner down the line to Sen’s forehand side. 35 shots.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 13-16 Anders Antonsen: Singles service fault for height. That’s a rarity! Sen not pleased. Takes the anger out on the shuttle next rally.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 11-15 Anders Antonsen: Slipping away from Sen here.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 11-13 Anders Antonsen: Soon enough, AA retakes the lead.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 11-11 Anders Antonsen: Sen back level. What a terrific rally from both players as Lakshya Sen makes it 11-11. 52 shots! Lovely. The commentator says the footwork from Lakshya there is a lesson for youngsters.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 7-11 Anders Antonsen: Didn’t get to watch the toss here, so not sure who picked what. But Antonsen looking good in the early exchanges.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 6-8 Anders Antonsen: Confident net play from Sen, after losing his footing in the previous rally, and he has the serve back to try and close the gap down.

MS R16, Lakshya Sen 4-8 Anders Antonsen: Couldn’t catch too much of the opening exchanges but per the commentator it’s been high quality badminton. Dane with the lead.

Men’s singles, Lakshya Sen vs Anders Antonsen: No time to breathe, this is underway on Court 2.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 21-19 Satwik / Chirag: Here’s how that decider unfolded.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 21-19 Satwik / Chirag: “That was an honour to commentate upon, I am sweating in the commentary box,” says Chris Langridge. WHAT A MATCH.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 21-19 Satwik / Chirag: WHAT A RALLY! Chirag and Satwik with some great defence in that rally, but the point is won by the Chinese.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 20-19 Satwik / Chirag: Ah, match point for the Chinese. Liang’s serve too.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 19-19 Satwik / Chirag: And we are back level!

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 19-18 Satwik / Chirag: OH, GIFT! Wang with an error at the net and a lifeline for the Indians.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 19-17 Satwik / Chirag: Lifted by Satwik and Liang with a massive smash.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 18-17 Satwik / Chirag: Looked like the net cord put Satwik off. But this time the Indians not allowing Liang to reel off points on serve. Crucial

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 15-15 Satwik / Chirag: Both pairs exchanging blows

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 12-12 Satwik / Chirag: Back level. And of course it’s on Liang’s serve.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 11-12 Satwik / Chirag: The Liang serve again pegging Indians back.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 10-12 Satwik / Chirag: Serves being exchanged at the moment.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 9-11 Satwik / Chirag: We are heading for a thrilling finish here, I am certain.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 8-11 Satwik / Chirag: Once the Indians are able to get past the three shots on Liang’s serve, they are controlling. The Indians have the lead at the final change of ends.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 8-10 Satwik / Chirag: Couple of good points for the Chinese, finding the gaps on the court. Langridge has been noticing how tough Liang’s serve has been to return because of the spin he puts on it. Great observation.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 5-10 Satwik / Chirag: Looks like Wang is being targetted by the Indians now. Good run of points this.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 4-7 Satwik / Chirag: The Indians have found some footing again. A superb flat rally followed by the shuttle going long. Decent lead here.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17, 2-4 Satwik / Chirag: The moment the Indians give some height to the shuttle and the Chinese have been able to pounce. But the Indians are now driving it flat better now. A winner each from Satwik and Chirag.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 21-17 Satwik / Chirag: The flick serve has been used frequently but that time it lands out. We have a decider.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 20-17 Satwik / Chirag: Three game points saved. Liang rushing.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 20-16 Satwik / Chirag: Two game points saved. Hmm.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 20-14 Satwik / Chirag: The service is back with Indians after a fault. But game points galore now.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 19-13 Satwik / Chirag: This seems destined for a decider.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 17-13 Satwik / Chirag: The Chinese are pouncing on anything that is high, brilliant attacking play.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 16-13 Satwik / Chirag: Wang with the touch, Liang with the power... uff.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 15-13 Satwik / Chirag: Not what Boe wanted them to do but almost a WD point there by the Indians. Good defence, lifting well and the error cones.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 13-12 Satwik / Chirag: Now the Indians starting to play the first three shots better. More control early in points, briefly at least. Boe likes this. Chirag with great skills.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 11-8 Satwik / Chirag: Need to be a little more active and aggressive is the message from Boe to SatChi.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 11-8 Satwik / Chirag: And Liang’s power is starting to come through here. Sat-Chi are reacting more now, not able to control rallies. “Totally different vibe here,” is the take on air.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 8-8 Satwik / Chirag: And now it is the even game we were expecting.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 7-5 Satwik / Chirag: Drift seems to affecting the Indian in reverse here. They are expecting the shuttle to go long but not so on a couple of occasions.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 6-5 Satwik / Chirag: Seems to be already much better from the Chinese duo in this game. Showing their aggression, moving better on court. Still errors from both sides they’d like to avoid. But the Chinese duo are bouncing now

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21, 2-2 Satwik / Chirag: Surely there has to be a response now from the Chinese? Even start to the game.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-21 Satwik / Chirag: That was clinical. Langridge on air is as surprised as we are. That was a demolition derby, he calls it, when we are all expecting an explosive two-way contest.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 10-20 Satwik / Chirag: Bagful of game points.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 9-19 Satwik / Chirag: And this is something I didn’t see coming. The Indians are running away with the opening game.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 9-16 Satwik / Chirag: A good point on commentary. Liang/Wang have had a round two and round one exit since their win at India Open. They are not coming into this in great form. Satwik misses a flick serve but wins the serve back right away with his power.

MD R16, Liang / Wang 7-14 Satwik / Chirag: Scores corrected. It was flipped in the previous updates. Anyway, this is really good from the Indians.

MD R16, Satwik / Chirag 11-5 Liang / Wang: Satwik showing no signs of rust early on. Good to see. His power the difference so far, Chirag steady as ever.

MD R16, Satwik / Chirag 9-5 Liang / Wang: Chris Langridge on commentary feels there is a fair amount of nerves in the middle. Not that there are to many long rallies in MD, but all of them are edgy. The Indians are in a good lead.

MD R16, Satwik / Chirag 2-2 Liang / Wang: Right, this is going to be a blockbuster potentially. Two of the best pairs currently in men’s doubles world badminton. Satwik-Chirag vs Liang-Wang. Chirag starts with a service error. The Indians are playing together here at All England after India Open, so there might be some rustiness to watch out for.

Men’s doubles R16, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty vs Liang Wei Keng / Wang Chang: Time for a potentially blockbuster men’s doubles match. SatChi against one of the best pairs going around in the world. The Chinese duo defeated Satwik-Chirag in the Malaysia Open semis and went on to win the India Open title.

Time for Satwik-Chirag as Tunjung pulls off a tight win in the end.

Satwik-Chirag on court 1 after this:

What works for them: Treesa and Gayatri complement each other perfectly. It’s a song of ice and fire. Treesa is the fire and takes the game to the opponents whereas Gayatri is the ice and is the player who turns up when the chips are down. Treesa has the power to hit through the pairs whereas Gayatri has remarkable soft hands and court awareness which help her find gaps. But what makes them truly stand out is that they do not fear playing the big names on tour and it’s just a matter of time before they will have better results in the big tournaments.

Women’s doubles: Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 22-24 Treesa / Gayatri: Here’s how the second game unfolded. What a finish. By the time the JPN veterans found their footing, the Indians were able to hold on to their nerves.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 22-24 Treesa / Gayatri: THEY LOVE ALL ENGLAND! What a win for the Indian youngsters. They convert their sixth match point and return to the quarterfinal in Birmingham, defeating the former champions.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 22-23 Treesa / Gayatri: Five match points saved and now Indians’ have their 6th.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 21-21 Treesa / Gayatri: WHAT A RALLY!!! Gayatri was sensational on defence. But the JPN duo get the point. 61 shot-rally, longet of the match.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 20-21 Treesa / Gayatri: Good return from Treesa and fourth match point now.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 20-20 Treesa / Gayatri: Superb from Hirota and Fukushima! Three match points saved, relentless pressure.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 19-20 Treesa / Gayatri: Incredible. Couple of nervy shots at the net by Gayatri and two match points have come and gone.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 17-20 Treesa / Gayatri: WHAT A POINT! Treesa Jolly with a stunning crosscourt net shot to set up match points!

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 17-19 Treesa / Gayatri: Crosscourt block goes wide from Jolly.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 16-19 Treesa / Gayatri: Fukushima with good defensive work. Another point for the JPN duo. Jolly trying to loosen herself up. A lucky net cord. Ohh, this is getting nervy.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 14-19 Treesa / Gayatri: Some nerves there.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 12-19 Treesa / Gayatri: How good from Gayatri! Stunning placement on her backhand from the net. Clean winner.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 11-17 Treesa / Gayatri: Huge roar by Jolly as she plays a superb drop to ends a run of points.. Gayatri solid in the next rally to induce the error.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 11-15 Treesa / Gayatri: Right then, this is a brilliant run for the Indians. They have shown in recent weeks their problem of holding on to leads is not a thing anymore.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 10-15 Treesa / Gayatri: Rare back-to-back points for the Japanese duo, three in a row. Can’t afford to take the foot off the pedal, the Indians. Make that four in a row as HiroShima up the pace.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 6-15 Treesa / Gayatri: There was one “WOW” rally from the JPN duo but the Indians are in total control here. Even the slightly longer rallies are going the Indians’ way, Jolly’s relentless pressure proving too much to handle.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 4-11 Treesa / Gayatri: This is quite brilliant from the Indian youngsters.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21, 2-6 Treesa / Gayatri: A little bit of what I could her Boe tell the Indians was to make sure they keep the shuttle down as much as possible. If they smash, then cool, go for the change of pace otherwise keep attacking. He even had a smile on his face there! A great start to the second game too for the Indians.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 14-21 Treesa / Gayatri: Superb from the Indians to take the lead in this match. The Japanese duo have been a little shell-shocked here. But don’t rule out a come back yet.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 13-20 Treesa / Gayatri: Superb body smash from Jolly and it sets up 7 game points.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 12-19 Treesa / Gayatri: Another error, Hirota at the net. Super solid from the Indians.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 12-18 Treesa / Gayatri: Can’t afford to give an inch to the JPN duo. More than capable of fighting back here. But they have made a few too many errors for their own good. The Indians get a serve back on one of those. Some miscommunication earlier too. Jolly with a superb drop and the lead is in sight.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 9-15 Treesa / Gayatri: couldn’t hear what Boe told the Indian youngsters but his voice has been a near present on the broadcast so far. Constantly talking to his wards. IT’s been a fine start, 14-9 in the opening for the Indians. Make it 15-9 on a service error from Hirota.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 7-11 Treesa / Gayatri: Early signs but just get the feeling even the celebrations are a bit restrained by Treesa Jolly... they will need to save all the energy they have to outlast the Japanese duo. Good little run for the Indians there, winning four in a row to head into the interval with a good advantage.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 4-6 Treesa / Gayatri: The Indians’ turn to win a long rally. That will give them confidence.

WD R16, Fukushima / Hirota 4-5 Treesa / Gayatri: There we go, the Japanese pair are finding their feet. The rallies are getting longer.

WD R16, Treesa / Gayatri 5-2 Fukushima / Hirota: A good start for the Indian youngsters against the former champions. Fukushima and Hirota are one of the defensive beasts in this category, the Indians can’t afford to be rushed.

Women’s doubles R16, Treesa Jolly / Gayatri Gopichand vs Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota: It’s the Indian youngsters versus the former world No 1. One of the best pairs in recent times, Hirota and Fukushima have slid to NO 9 in the world rankings but make no mistake of the magnitude of test awaiting the Indians. First meeting.

From our preview: 

“The consistency pre-match stood out for them during that week in Dubai,” doubles coach SR Arun Vishnu told Scroll.

“First to beat Thinaah/Tan, then to defeat Hong Kong and China pairs also. Before the All England last year, what training we were doing, we started that training again. You could say we went back to basics.”

“We were focussing more on their movement, not their strokes. Just move fast to get the shuttle and get back to position. Both of them are good at strokemaking, we just had to make them move fast. Whatever shot they play, it’s fine but reach early. They have the freedom with the shots. They can pick whatever, that is something we worked out. And then recover fast after matches,” he added in reference to his tweet during Dubai about tweaks suggested by Pullela Gopichand.

First up, women’s doubles. Treesa Jolly / Gayatri Gopichand vs Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota.

Hello all and welcome to our badminton live coverage. It’s a big day at one of the biggest events of the year. We will be tracking India’s round of 16 matches at the All England Open, one of badminton’s most prestigious events.

The opening round was a mixed bag for the Indian shuttlers in Birmingham. On Tuesday, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen won their matches, with the latter pulling off an impressive win against fellow former finalist Chou Tien Chen. The headline on Wednesday was Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly’s brilliant win to oust the seventh seeds in women’s doubles. Srikanth Kidambi and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty defeated their compatriots in contrasting styles.

But there was disappointment in women’s singles as PV Sindhu’s comeback continued to remain rather sluggish, she struggled for rhythm and suffered a third straight first-round defeat on the World Tour.

India’s round of 16 matches:

 Treesa Jolly / Gayatri Gopichand vs Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty vs Liang Wei Keng / Wang Chang

Lakshya Sen vs Anders Antonsen

HS Prannoy vs Anthony Sinisuka Ginting  

Kidambi Srikanth vs Kodai Naraoka 

Screenshots in the blog via BWF / Viacom 18 / Tournament Software