New Delhi: India’s two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu bowed out of the Hong Kong Open Super 500 on Wednesday, while HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen secured hard-fought victories to advance in the men’s singles draw.
Sindhu, who had reached the BWF World Championships quarterfinals last month, lost a closely contested women’s singles round-of-32 match 21-15, 16-21, 19-21 against unseeded Danish shuttler Line Christophersen. The 25-year-old Danish player claimed her first win over Sindhu in six meetings, halting the Indian star’s bid to regain form after early exits at the Swiss Open and Japan Open earlier this year.
The match was a battle of nerves, with Sindhu taking the first game 21-15 after building an early lead. The second game saw her lead 13-12, but a series of errors allowed Christophersen to level the match. The decider remained tight until 19-all, when Christophersen claimed two decisive points to seal Sindhu’s exit.
Meanwhile, India’s men’s singles players made their mark. HS Prannoy (world No. 34) defeated 14th-ranked Lu Guang Zu of China 21-17, 21-14 in 44 minutes, while Lakshya Sen began his campaign with a thrilling 22-20, 16-21, 21-15 win to reach the pre-quarterfinals. Kiran George also advanced, beating Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-16, 21-11, and world No. 31 Ayush Shetty overcame Chinese-Taipei’s Su Li Yang 15-21, 21-19, 21-13 in a 63-minute contest.
In doubles action, the women’s pair of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda fell 17-21, 9-21 to Hong Kong’s Oi Ki Vanessa Pang and Sum Yau Wong. Dhruv Kapil and Tanisha Crasto lost 16-21, 11-21 to Chinese-Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Hsu Yin-Hui.
Looking ahead, Rakshitha Ramraj will face fifth-seeded former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the women’s singles round-of-32, while mixed doubles duo Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde take on the second-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping. On Tuesday, India’s top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had begun their campaign with a win over Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin.
India will now rely on its men’s singles contingent and top doubles pair to carry the country’s hopes forward in Hong Kong.
