Srikanth and Saina sail

Sindhu, Kashyap out; Jwala & Ashwini move up

May 28, 2015 12:07 am | Updated April 03, 2016 12:37 am IST - Sydney:

Leading Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and K. Srikanth won their first round matches in contrasting style at the Star Australian Open Super Series here on Wednesday.

While world No. 1 Saina beat 67th-ranked Cheah Lyddia Yi Yu of Malaysia, world No. 4 Srikanth pipped Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in a thrilling decider.

Defending champion Saina breezed past Cheah 21-12, 21-10 to enter the last 16.

Srikanth recovered well to beat Vittinghus 14-21, 21-8, 22-20 in a match that lasted 53 minutes. He plays China’s Tian Houwei on Thursday.

The women’s doubles pair of G. Jwala and Ashwini Ponnappa, too, made a winning start.

Jwala and Ashwini beat the Dutch pair of Samantha Barning and Iris Tabeling 21-13, 21-13.

Among the Indians who made a first-round exit were P.V. Sindhu, P. Kashyap and R.M.V. Gurusaidutt. Eighth seed Wang Yihan put it across world No. 14 Sindhu 18-21, 21-15, 25-23.

Compatriot Kashyap went down to sixth seed Wang Zhengming 24-26, 21-18, 22-20.

Gurusaidutt raised eyebrows by taking the first game off Long before the Chinese completed a 15-21, 21-9, 21-17 victory.

Earlier, Ashwini lost in the mixed doubles alongside Pranaav Jerry Chopra.

Indian results (first round): Men’s singles: K. Srikanth bt Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Den) 14-21, 21-8, 22-20; Wang Zhengming (Chn) bt P. Kashyap 24-26, 21-18, 22-20; Chen Long bt R.M.V. Gurusaidutt 15-21, 21-9, 21-17.

Doubles: Yun Cai & Jun Kang (Chn) bt Pranaav Jerry Chopra & Akshay Dewalkar 21-15, 21-15.

Women’s singles: Saina Nehwal bt Cheah Lyddia Yi Yu (Mas) 21-12, 21-10; Yihan Wang (Chn) bt P.V. Sindhu 18-21, 21-15, 25-23; Doubles: G. Jwala & Ashwini Ponnappa bt Samantha Barning & Iris Tabeling (Ned) 21-13, 21-13.

Mixed doubles: Choi Solgyu & Eom Hye Won (Kor) bt Pranaav and Ashwini 21-19, 21-14.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.