• Indian badminton team had mixed results at the Paris Paralympics, with Suhas Yathiraj bouncing back from a defeat to win his singles match.
• Sukant Kadam and Tarun Dhillon also started their campaigns with victories in their respective groups.
• In the Women's Singles, Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manisha Ramdass started with wins, while Manasi Joshi and Mandeep Kaur faced defeats.
• The coming days of the competition will bring more exciting matches and hopefully more victories for the Indian team.

The Paralympic Games in Paris have been a whirlwind of emotions for the Indian badminton team, with victories and defeats painting a vivid picture of the athletes' resilience and determination. The opening day of the badminton competitions saw a mixed bag of results for the Indian contingent, with some players starting their campaigns on a winning note, while others faced setbacks.

Suhas Yathiraj, a Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and an IAS officer of the 2007 batch from Uttar Pradesh, India, had a day of contrasting fortunes. Yathiraj, who has served as District Magistrate in Gautam Buddha Nagar & Prayagraj, began the day with a defeat in the Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 match, partnering with Palak Kohli. The duo lost to compatriots Nitesh Kumar and Thulasimathi Murugesan 0-2 (14-21, 17-21) at Court 4 of the La Chapelle Arena in the French Capital.

However, the 41-year-old shuttler bounced back a few hours later, starting his campaign in the men's singles SL4 on a high note. He defeated Indonesia's Hikmat Ramdani 21-7, 21-5 in just 22 minutes in his first match in Group A. This victory was a testament to Yathiraj's tenacity and his ability to recover from a setback, a quality that has been a hallmark of his career, both on and off the court.

Triumphs and Trials in Men's Singles

In the same SL4 category, India's Sukant Kadam and Tarun Dhillon also started their campaigns with victories in their respective groups. Kadam, in Group B, began his campaign with a hard-fought three-game win over fourth seed Mohd Amin Burhanuddin of Malaysia. Kadam defeated the Malaysian 2-1 (17-21, 21-15, 22-20) in a 61-minute encounter. Meanwhile, in Group D, 30-year-old Tarun Dhillon bested Brazil's Rogerio Junior Xavier de Oliveira 2-0 (21-17, 21-19). Dhillon, who had represented India in the Tokyo Paralympics but had failed to win any medals, showcased his skill and determination with this victory.

However, the day was not without its disappointments. In the Men's Singles SL3 category, Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist Manoj Sarkar went down to compatriot and top seed Nitesh Kumar in three games 1-2. Sarkar, who is India's biggest hope for a gold medal in the absence of Tokyo gold medallist Pramod Bhagat, lost his first Group Stage Play match 13-21, 21-18, 18-21 in a 52-minute clash on Court 3 at the La Chapelle Arena.

Women's Singles: Victories and Setbacks

In the Women's Singles SU5, Thulasimathi Murugesan started her campaign in Group A with a 2-0 win against Italy's Rosa Efomo de Marco in the Group Play Stage. Thulsamathi defeated her opponent 21-9, 21-11 in a 24-minute encounter. Manisha Ramdass also started with a win, beating France's Maud Lefort 2-1, coming back after losing the first game to win 8-21, 21-6, 21-12. Sumathi Sivan Nithya Sre too won her Group A match in Women's Singles SH6, beating American Jayci Simon 31-7, 21-8.

However, India suffered setbacks in the Women's Singles SL3 category as both Manasi Joshi and Mandeep Kaur lost their opening matches. The 35-year-old Manasi, who is making her Paralympic Games debut in Paris, ran into top seed Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh of Indonesia in her first match in Group A and put up a superb fight before going down 1-2. Manasi won the first game but lost the next two to lose the match 21-16, 13-21, 18-21. She put up a strong fight in the third game but could not go all the way. Ukraine's Oksana Kozyna is the third player in the group.

In the Mixed Doubles SH6 section, India's Sivarajan Solaimalai and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan lost their opening match to the American combine of Miles Krajewski and Simon Jayci 0-2 (21-23, 11-21). However, all is not lost for the Indian pair as they need to beat the third pair in the group, Natthapong Meechai, to keep their hopes alive to advance to the next stage as two pairs from the group will qualify for the semifinals.

The Paris Paralympics badminton competitions have been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Indian team, with victories and defeats painting a vivid picture of the athletes' resilience and determination. The opening day of the badminton competitions saw a mixed bag of results for the Indian contingent, with some players starting their campaigns on a winning note, while others faced setbacks. The coming days of the competition will undoubtedly bring more exciting matches and hopefully more victories for the Indian team.