India Open: Sindhu triumphs, Srikanth forfeits; Treesa-Gayatri eliminated early
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Synopsis
PV Sindhu successfully moved to the next round of the BWF India Open, achieving victory in her first tournament after marriage. However, the women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand faced an early exit, while Srikanth Kidambi had to forfeit his match.
Key Takeaways
- Sindhu wins her opening match in the India Open.
- Treesa-Gayatri eliminated in the first round.
- Srikanth Kidambi does not compete, granting a walkover.
- Kiran George advances after a tough match.
- Mixed doubles pair also progresses to the next round.
New Delhi, Jan 14 (NationPress) Two-time Olympic champion PV Sindhu successfully progressed to the second round of the BWF India Open, marking a victorious debut in her first tournament post-marriage. However, it was a bittersweet day for India as the fifth-seeded women's doubles duo, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, were surprisingly eliminated from the Super 750 event on Tuesday.
Sindhu, aiming to return to the top 10 after a recent decline in her performance and rankings, triumphed over Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei with scores of 21-14, 22-20 in a 51-minute match during the women's singles Round of 32 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
The Commonwealth Games bronze medalists, Treesa and Gayatri, faced a tough challenge against the unseeded Japanese pair of Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto, ultimately losing a closely contested match with scores of 21-23, 19-21.
Former World No.1 Srikanth Kidambi, who received a last-minute entry into the main draw due to some withdrawals, did not show up for his match, allowing Hong Yang Weng from China, currently ranked No. 21 in the world, to advance to the Round of 16 via a walkover.
Another Indian player, Kiran George, also gained entry late into the main draw and managed to reach the second round after a challenging three-game victory over Japan's Yushi Tanaka, who is ranked 25th in the BWF Rankings. Kiran, the World No. 38, secured the men's singles Round of 32 match with scores of 21-19, 14-21, 27-25 in a 71-minute bout.
The mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto successfully moved on to the Round of 16, overcoming Cheng Kuan Chen and Yin-Hui Hsu from Chinese Taipei in three games. They made a comeback after losing the first game to win 6-21, 21-10, 21-17 in 51 minutes on Court 1.
In women's singles, Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon was among the notable players to advance, defeating Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-13, 21-15 in a match that lasted 36 minutes and featured two former World Champions.
