New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and former world No.1 Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the Indonesia Masters badminton tournament on Wednesday, giving India a promising start in the competition.
Fifth seed Sindhu defeated Japan’s Manami Suizu 22-20, 21-18 in a tightly contested 53-minute women’s singles match. Srikanth, currently ranked 33rd in the world, had to work harder, overcoming world No.22 Koki Watanabe 21-15, 21-23, 24-22 in a 72-minute men’s singles encounter. Srikanth will face fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the second round, who defeated Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-14, 21-15 in the opening round.
However, not all Indian players progressed. Kiran George was eliminated in the first round after a 17-21, 14-21 loss to Indonesia’s Moh Zaki Ubaidillah. In women’s singles, Akarshi Kashyap also bowed out, falling 21-8, 20-22, 17-21 to Julie Dawall Jakobsen of Denmark.
India’s mixed doubles campaign ended early, with both pairs exiting in the opening round. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde lost 9-21, 20-22 to fourth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanish Crasto were defeated 23-21, 20-22, 6-21 by Julien Maio and Lea Palermo, also from France.
With Sindhu and Srikanth moving forward, India will look to build momentum in the tournament, while other shuttlers will regroup ahead of upcoming international competitions.
