The top Indian players, including Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Srikanth have failed to lift the prestigious trophy
Soon after he won his historic US Open title, Paes said more than technique it is his never-say-die spirit that has got him success.
On Wednesday, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy, seeded eighth, scraped past the Denmark duo of Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn 21-9, 17-21, 21-19 in the women's doubles.
Congratulating tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, who won Grand Slams in the women's doubles and mixed doubles respectively at the US Open, former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid on Monday said that both are "huge inspiration" for aspiring sportspersons in the country.
India's leading shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the French Open with straight-game wins, but it was curtains for Sameer Verma at the US $750,000 BWF event, in Paris, on Wednesday.
Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki N Reddy also won their mixed doubles first round match, beating Denmark's Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje 10-21, 21-16, 21-17.
Sindhu and Saina will once again be India's best bet as they look to put up a good show this week.
Sixth seed Elise Mertens fell to Kaia Kanepi 0-6, 6-0, 7-5 and seventh seed Julia Goerges lost to American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 7-6(0).
The 44-year-old veteran says he has not lost hope and by his own admission, he is still playing the game for the love of it.
'Badminton at this level is a mental game.' 'Often just one or two points makes the deficit and often it's upstairs on the first floor that these things happen.'
She was forced to partner Leander Paes during the 2012 Olympic Games in London but this time around World No. 1 doubles player Sania Mirza claimed she has 'conveyed' her decision to the All India Tennis Federation about her preferred mixed doubles partner at the Rio Games.
World champion PV Sindhu made an early exit from the China Open but B Sai Praneeth kept the Indian flag fluttering with a hard-fought straight-game win to reach the men's singles quarter-finals.
While many Western countries, including the United States, Britain and Australia, are diplomatically boycotting the Winter Olympics over China's human rights record, Putin will join a number of Beijing-friendly leaders at the Games.
Sindhu suffered a shock defeat to lower-ranked Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau's dream run came to an end in the mixed doubles event of the Australian Open on Sunday.
The 32-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion has not played singles since losing in the Australian Open first round in January.
The sixth seed and world No. 6 Indian needed 42 minutes to get the better of Beiwin Zhang of the United States, ranked eight places below her, 21-14, 21-17.
Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig held their nerves and saved two match points against Rohan Bopanna and Gabriela Dabrowski before pulling off a tense win to seal a place in the mixed doubles semi-finals of the Australian Open, in Melbourne on Wednesday.
India's tennis star Sania Mirza said pulling out of her match at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 because of injury affected her mentally as she went into depression for nearly four months.
In the mixed doubles event, Satwiksairak Rankreddy and Ashwini Ponnappa started their campaign on a winning note. The duo beat the German combine of Marvin Seidel and Linda Efler in straight games 21-14, 31-19.
Fifteen-year-old Cori Gauff clawed her way back from a set and 5-2 down and saved two match points to beat Slovenia's Polona Hercog 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 on Friday and reach the Wimbledon fourth round.
The 2021 All England Open will be the second tournament this year to offer ranking points to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, after the Swiss Open.
Paes, Bopanna in men's doubles 3rd round
Some of the biggest surprises so far from the Tokyo Games.
Track and field athletes led India's gold rush on the third day of competitions at the 13th South Asian Games as the country added a whopping 29 medals to jump to the top of the medals tally, in Kathmandu, on Wednesday.
Brazil's Bruno Soares, fuelled by numerous cups of coffee, produced a doubles double on Sunday when he and Russian partner Elena Vesnina won the Australian Open mixed doubles title on Rod Laver Arena.
Saina had pulled out of the opening round of All England Open Championships last week after suffering a thigh injury.
Indian tennis stars Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna advanced to the quarter-finals of the women's and mixed doubles events respectively after notching up contrasting victories with their partners at the Australian Open.
A 'chance meeting' with Pullela Gopichand near an auditorium lift was enough for Manasi Joshi to convince the national coach of her burning desire to become a world champion.
Veteran tennis star Leander Paes and his partner Martina Hingis, who won the Australian Open mixed doubles title last month, met India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday.
Manika Batra's sensational run at the Commonwealth Games culminated with a fourth medal in as many events while India emerged as the best table tennis nation with a record eight medals including three gold medals.
The Indians clinched the boys' and girls' singles titles in tennis through Sasi Kumar Mukund and Dhruthi Tatachar Venugopal, following their mixed doubles success together earlier.
India ended their Commonwealth Games campaign in squash with two silver medals after Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa went down fighting in the women's doubles final, in Gold Coast, on Sunday.
Sania Mirza remained confident of winning a medal for India in the mixed doubles after losing in the first round of the women's doubles alongside inexperienced teammate Prathana Thombare.
Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott, who led the player backlash and had described the exclusion as 'disgusting discrimination', thanked organisers for reversing the decision.
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis won their mixed doubles opener at the Australian Open tennis tournament on Sunday.
Kristina Mladenovic and Richard Gasquet beat Coco Vandeweghe and Jack Sock of the United States on Saturday to win France's second Hopman Cup title in Perth.
Check out the complete schedule of Indian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics
India's Sania Mirza was eyeing her seventh Grand Slam title during the Australian Open mixed doubles final but it was not meant to be.
Serena Williams was the runner-up in Flushing Meadows each of the past two years
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