Korea Open 2022 | PV Sindhu in quarters, Lakshya Sen ousted in second round
PV Sindhu progressed to the quarterfinals of the Korean Open 2022 in Suncheon on Thursday, while Lakshya Sen, the All England Open finalist, was eliminated in the second round. Sindhu, ranked 7th in the world, overcame world No. 26 Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round 21-15, 21-10.
Sindhu defeated her Japanese opponent for the 12th time in as many matches. SheĀ started the match gingerly but maintained an 11-9 advantage at the break. The Indian badminton star then switched gears to easily win the first game.
In the starting stages of the second game, Aya Ohori put up a much better fight against PV Sindhu. PV Sindhu grabbed the momentum with 10 consecutive points and cruised into the BWF Super 500 quarterfinals after trailing 10-9.
Sindhu will play world No. 11 Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the last eight, which the Indian overcame in the Swiss Open final last month. Meanwhile,Ā Sen, India's top-ranked men's singles player, lost 22-20, 21-9 against Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito. HeĀ started well in the first game of their first encounter, which was fairly contested. The No. 9-ranked Indian, on the other hand, was unable to capitalize on the game point and was forced to lose a 1-0 lead.
One-way traffic was the second game. Sen lost in just 33 minutes due to a string of unforced mistakes. This is the first time this year that Lakshya Sen, a global bronze medalist, would leave a BWF World Tour tournament empty-handed.
Sen had won silver at both the German Open and the All England Open after winning the India Open in January, including victories against Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No. 3 Anders Antonsen.
In the second round of the women's singles, unseeded Malvika Bansod was defeated by world No. 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-8, 21-14.
India's mixed doubles journey came to an end as BS Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa lost to China's Ou Xuan Yi and Huang Y Q. The Indian duo put up a valiant effort in the first two games, but lost momentum in the third game, falling 22-20, 18-21, 21-14.