PV Sindhu returns to top 10 with winning start as Lakshya Sen, Srikanth exit Indonesia Open
PV Sindhu provided the only major boost for India on an otherwise disappointing day at the Indonesia Open Super 1000, as the former world champion marked her return to the top 10 of the BWF rankings with a first-round victory on Tuesday.
Back among the world’s top 10 for the first time in 31 months, Sindhu battled past Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 25-23, 21-16 to secure her place in the second round at Jakarta’s iconic Istora Senayan arena.
The result stood in stark contrast to India’s struggles elsewhere, with several singles and doubles players making early exits from the tournament.
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth’s difficult season continued after he suffered a 19-21, 15-21 defeat against Japan’s Yushi Tanaka. The loss added to a worrying run of form for the 32-year-old, who is still searching for a deep run on the BWF Tour this year.
Lakshya Sen also failed to progress, losing 19-21, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. The Indian shuttler was unable to match the pace and precision of the home favourite, ending his campaign in the opening round despite showing encouraging signs with a quarter-final appearance at the Singapore Open last week.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod was comprehensively beaten by Thailand’s seventh seed Pornpawee Chochuwong, going down 12-21, 10-21.
India’s doubles teams found little joy as well. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand exited the women’s doubles draw after a straight-game loss to Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari. The Indian pair fell 14-21, 12-21 against the local duo.
The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also crashed out after a one-sided 11-21, 10-21 defeat to China’s sixth-seeded combination of Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui.
The lone success apart from Sindhu came in men’s doubles, where Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun pulled off an impressive win over Malaysia’s Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong. The Indian pair prevailed 21-18, 21-10 to book a place in the second round.
India will hope for a better showing on Wednesday when HS Prannoy and Ayush Shetty begin their campaigns at the prestigious Super 1000 tournament in Jakarta.
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