New Delhi [India], January 14 (ANI): After winning his Round of 64 match against Japan's Koki Watanabe at the India Open 2026 Badminton Championship, Current World No. 2 and Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn said he loves playing in India.

The Thailand shuttler opened up about his excitement of playing in the big stadium and also the challenges of controlling the shuttle.

'I feel so excited to play in the big stadium. It's really nice...It's difficult to control the shuttle, but everything else was nice... I hopefully try everything to be the best in the India Open... I think India is a beautiful place, and I have many fans and very good guys, and I enjoy playing in India,' Vitdsarn told reporters.

Coming to the Match, Kunlavut Vitidsarn won a tight-fought three-set contest against Japanese opponent Koki Watanabe 21-19, 25-23, 21-10.

The World No.2 won the first set after showcasing his calmness in a close battle. However, the Japanese opponent bounced back and won the second set 25-23, before the Thailand star clinched the third set, closing 21-10, to win the match and qualify for the next round in the ongoing India Open 2025.

Meanwhile, India's Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen started off his India Open campaign with a win over compatriot Ayush Shetty on Tuesday.

In his match against the young Indian shuttler, who secured the US Open title last year, Lakshya was extremely clinical and gave him very few chances, winning the match within two games by 21-12, 21-15.

Also, the eighth-ranked women's doubles pair, the Commonwealth Games silver medalist Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, beat Thailand's Ornnicha Jonggsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai 21-15, 21-11. The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K crashed out in the first round, while the women's doubles pair of Priya Konjegbam and Shruti Mishra also met the same fate.

India Open 2026, a World Tour Super 750 tournament, is being played from January 13-18. It serves as a dress rehearsal for the prestigious World Championships 2026, with badminton action moving to the much larger multi-purpose hall in the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, ensuring fans a significantly improved viewing experience.

As in previous years, this edition of the India Open has attracted the world's best badminton players, including World Champion Shi Yu Qi of China, women's world no. 1 An Se Young, and BWF World Tour Finals champion Christo Popov. (ANI)