Hylo Open: Sindhu, Lakshya prevail in opener as Prannoy exits

Saarbrucken: PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen advanced to the second round of the BWF Hylo Open on Wednesday, as several other Indian shuttlers progressed in the BWF Super 500 tournament.

However, HS Prannoy was among those eliminated, with the sixth-seeded Toma Junior Popov of France claiming a victory in straight sets.

Sindhu, the second seed in women’s singles, continued her impressive run following her runner-up finish at last week’s French Open. The Indian needed only 28 minutes to defeat Prakriti Bharath of the UAE 21-10, 21-10, controlling both games to secure a comfortable opening-round victory.

Sen faced a tougher test in the men’s singles draw but recovered well after losing the first game against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff. The seventh seed raised his level in the subsequent games to complete a 16-21, 21-9, 21-13 comeback win in just over an hour.

Kiran George also moved into the next round after overcoming Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei 21-18, 21-17 in straight games.

Prannoy, meanwhile, was unable to convert a closely fought opening game against Popov, losing 21-23, 16-21 to bow out of the competition. The Indian had an opportunity to take the first game but could not capitalise, allowing the Frenchman to close out the contest in two games.

Tharun Mannepalli and Sankar Subramanian also exited the men’s singles competition after defeats against Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei and Finland’s Kalle Koljonen, respectively. Ayush Shetty, who was scheduled to compete in Germany, withdrew before the tournament began because of an injury sustained at the French Open last week.

In women’s singles, sixth seed Unnati Hooda recovered from a slow start to defeat Czechia’s Tereza Svabikova 17-21, 21-12, 21-11. Hooda dropped the opening game but took control of the contest thereafter, winning the next two games to progress.

Isharani Baruah produced a steady performance against Germany’s Miranda Wilson, registering a 21-19, 21-9 victory. Anmol Kharb also advanced, holding her nerve in a tight second game to beat Sri Lanka’s Ranithma Liyanage 21-18, 22-20.

Malvika Bansod came through an all-Indian encounter against Devika Sihag. After surrendering the opening game 18-21, Bansod responded strongly to take the next two 21-10, 21-14 and book her place in the second round.

There were further setbacks for India in the women’s draw, with Ashmita Chaliha losing to Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova 18-21, 21-12, 21-8 after taking the first game. Aakarshi Kashyap also bowed out, going down 21-12, 21-18 to Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]