The Indian challenge ended at the Japan Open Super Series badminton here after Ajay Jayaram and P.V. Sindhu lost their respective second round matches on Thursday.
In women’s singles, world No.20 Sindhu went down to South Korean fourth seed Bae Yeon-Ju 21-10, 12-21, 18-21 in 52 minutes at the Yoyogi National Stadium.
In the first game, Sindhu demolished the world No.11.
It was a neck-and-neck contest in the second game with the scores tied at 10-all. But Bae gave nothing away and won the must-win game.
Bae got off to a flier in the third (12-4). However, Sindhu clawed back to save two match points and closed the scoreline to 18-20. A crucial smash then earned the Korean an entry into the quarterfinals round.
Mumbai’s Jayaram also lost to Malaysia’s Chong Wei Feng in straight games in the last game of the day. The Indian fell 16-21, 16-21 in 35 minutes.
Both shuttlers had reached the semifinals of the China Masters Super Series last week.
The results (involving Indians only): Men’s singles: Second round: Chong Wei Feng bt Ajay Jayaram 21-16, 21-16.
Women’s singles: Second round: Bae Yeon-Ju bt P.V. Sindhu 10-21, 21-12, 21-18. — Agencies
