Arjun-Hariharan savour World Championships opener win in front of parents

M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan began India’s BWF World Championships campaign with a win over Ireland. For Arjun, the victory was especially meaningful as his parents watched him play live for the first time in around 13 years

New Delhi: For M R Arjun, Monday’s opening-round victory at the BWF World Championships was about more than moving into the next round. With his parents and wife watching from the stands at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the Indian men’s doubles shuttler experienced something he had not for around 13 years, his parents watching him play a match live.

“My parents and my wife are here. My parents are watching me live probably after 13 years,” Arjun said after teaming up with Hariharan Amsakarunan to beat Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds 21-16, 6-4 in their opening-round contest.

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For someone whose father had once taken him around the country for his junior matches, having his parents back in the stands carried a significance that went well beyond the result.

“My dad used to take me around for all my junior matches at probably 8, but after that, you know, I had the opinion that I would love playing alone or travelling alone, because there are obviously opinions from your parents and from coaches which might not go in the right direction when it comes to a player, but my dad, I know he’s been following, he’s been watching everything live, but never had a, you know, obviously I call him after my match, he’ll be like, yeah I’ve seen the match, it’s always seen from a, I mean, yeah now he’s there,” Arjun said.

And another source of support awaited the Indian pair inside the arena. Arjun and Hariharan had expected to encounter the usual pressures of a World Championship opener, but the response from the home crowd caught them off guard. The Indian supporters had turned up in numbers even for the opening session, creating an atmosphere that the pair felt almost immediately.

“It was good, actually. In the first round of the World Championship, we didn’t expect so many people to come out and support us, but as soon as we entered the main arena, we heard a lot of cheering when our names were announced, which gave us an extra boost and extra energy. It definitely helped,” Arjun said.

That support became particularly important during the opening game. The Indian pair knew that getting off to a strong start could prevent the pressure of a World Championships opener from building.

“First game, I mean, coming into the first round of the World Championships, the conditions can be a little dicey, with little drifts here and there. I would say it’s obviously very important to earn those first four points. If it had gone the other way, pressure would have built up, and that would have cost us, but I feel we took advantage of those first few points, which helped us,” Arjun said.

The Indians converted that early advantage into a 21-16 first-game win. They were 6-4 ahead in the second when the Irish pair were forced to retire because of injury, bringing the match to an early end.

For Hariharan, the connection between the players and the stands was just as important as the scoreboard.

“The crowd also gave us more confidence. Whenever we were down, the crowd was cheering us on, and they were more confident,” Hariharan said.

Playing a World Championship on home soil has naturally brought questions about whether the familiarity of the surroundings and conditions can offer an advantage. Arjun, however, felt the court itself was comparable to what the pair had encountered across the season.

“Conditions-wise, I feel they are at par with all the other tournaments we’ve played in over the last year, including the World Championships in Paris. We are at par with the level and the conditions they’ve provided. But to play at home, obviously everybody asks the same question, and again I feel every athlete would give the same answer, because it’s an added advantage and an extra energy for sure to hear our home crowd or the support we have after each point. The shouts you hear obviously give us that extra energy, if at all we are losing on points, and either way, whether you are winning or losing, you hear your crowd supporting or backing you,” Arjun said.

Hariharan also felt the court was playing without the side drift they had anticipated, although there was a noticeable difference between the two ends.

“Yeah, now it’s like there’s no drift out there. We’re not feeling any drift. It’s just front-to-back. One side is a little fast, the other a little slow. Not side drift. but it’s okay. Almost every country is the same because of the air conditioning,” Hariharan said.

The victory gave India a winning start to its campaign at the World Championships, which are being staged in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, the tournament’s first return to India since 2009.