Japan Open | PV Sindhu succumbs in first round, Srikanth & Prannoy to face off in pre-quarters
While Indian male shuttlers are coming up with decent performances here and there, it is form of two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, which is a big cause of worry. The 27-year-old once again perished in the first round of Japan Open, this time against Zhang Yi Man from China in straight games.
The Indian lost 12-21, 13-21 in a one-sided battle. Interestingly, it was her seventh first-round exit from the 13 tournaments she has played this year. Otherwise, apart from this disappointment, other Indians fared quite well and made it to the other rounds.Â
Lakshya Sen beat Priyanshu Rajawat in three games 21-15, 12-21, 24-22 in a closely-contested match. Now the former will face Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the second round. The Korea Open champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat the Indonesian duo of Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin 21-16 11-21 21-13 to move into the second round.
They will now face Denmark's Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhede in the second round. Unfortunately, the pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila once again retired midway while lagging 5-15 in the first game against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
Meanwhile, the likes of Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, who had won their first-round matches on Tuesday, will face each other in the pre-quarters on Thursday.