नवीनतम
Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya move to 2nd round at Japan Open
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu endured yet another first-round exit but Lakshya Sen and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty moved into the second round with comfortable victories at the Japan Open here on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old Sindhu, a former world champion, went down 15-21, 14-21 to Korea’s Sim Yu Jin in the Super 750 tournament, marking her fifth first-round exit this year.
Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya, on the other hand, registered dominant straight-game wins.
After a slow start, Sindhu, who appeared rusty and error-prone and struggled with judgment of length, showed some fight in the first game but Sim regained control to claim her first career-win over the Indian star.
In the second game, Sindhu quickly fell behind 1-6. Though she managed to level the score at 11-11, the Korean pulled away with ease to seal the match in straight games.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag — currently ranked 15th in the world — defeated Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Kim Dong Ju 21-18, 21-10 in just 42 minutes.
The former world No. 1 Indian duo took time to settle, with the Koreans matching them early in the opening game. But once they found their rhythm, the Indians took control, dominating the second game with clinical precision.
In singles, Lakshya, who has endured a patchy season marked by several first-round exits, looked sharp as he brushed aside China’s Wang Zheng Xing 21-11, 21-18.
The world No. 18 was in total control in the first game, surging to an 11-2 lead and closing it out comfortably.
Xing mounted a stronger challenge in the second, but Lakshya’s early momentum helped him stay ahead and wrap up the match in straight games.
He will next face seventh seed and home favourite Kodai Naraoka in the round of 16.
