SYDNEY, June 10: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu led a strong show by Indian women with an easy victory while teenager Tanvi Sharma pulled off an upset win in the women’s singles competition at the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.
Third seed Sindhu, Tanvi, Malvika Bansod, Isharani Baruah and Tanya Hemanth all progressed to the round of 16, but it was a disappointing day for the Indian men with Kiran George, Tharun Mannepalli and qualifier Saneeth Dayanand bowing out in the opening round.
Sindhu barely broke a sweat in her opener, outclassing Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar 21-13, 21-11 in just 32 minutes.The former world champion was in complete control throughout the contest, dominating the rallies and never allowing her opponent to settle into a rhythm.
Sindhu will next face compatriot Isharani, who fought hard to overcome China’s Han Qian Xi 22-20, 10-21, 21-14 in a one-hour three-minute battle.
The biggest result of the day came from 17-year-old Tanvi, who upset fifth seed and world No. 11 Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 22-20 in 45 minutes.World No. 36 Tanvi will now take on fellow Indian Malvika in the round of 16 after the latter recovered from a game down to beat Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13.
Tanya also joined the winning brigade, defeating Ishika Jaiswal of the USA 21-17, 21-18 in 39 minutes.
She will face world No. 8 and second seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the next round.
MEN DISAPPOINT
In the men’s singles, George suffered a hard-fought 19-21, 21-14, 15-21 defeat to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in a match that lasted one hour and two minutes.Qualifier Dayanand found the going tough against China’s Hu Zhe’an, losing 8-21, 10-21 in just 35 minutes.Tharun came closest to causing an upset, pushing second seed and world No. 10 Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei to the limit before going down 21-18, 13-21, 23-25 in a gripping one-hour 20-minute contest.
After taking the opening game, Tharun fought back from behind in the decider and reached match points, but Lin held his nerve in the closing stages to escape with the win.
DHRUV-MANEESHA ADVANCE
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K advanced to the second round with a comfortable 21-13, 21-14 victory over Australia’s Lim Jayden and Victoria Tjonadi in 27 minutes.However, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan were no match for second-seeded Chinese pair Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui, losing in straight games 6-21, 5-21 in 20 minutes. (PTI)
