Thailand, Mar 27
Former champions PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the second round, while HS Prannoy also made a strong start to his campaign with a hard-fought win at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open on Wednesday.
Sindhu, who reached the finals in the last two editions and won the title in 2017, brushed aside fellow Indian Mugdha Agrey 21-8 21-13 in women’s singles, while 2015 winner Srikanth recorded his fourth successive win over Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Ki Vincent with a 21-16 18-21 21-19 triumph in men’s singles.
Prannoy also showed good signs of recovering from a gastro-oesophageal reflux disease that troubled him last year, notching up a come-from-behind 14-21 21-18 21-14 win over Thailand’s eighth-seeded Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
Fifth seed Sameer Verma beat Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke 21-18 21-12, while Riya Mookerjee shocked Thailand’s Phittayaporn Chaiwan 21-17 21-15 to set up a meeting with Denmark’s eighth seed Mia Blichfeldt, who knocked out Rita Thaker.
Sindhu said it was an easy first-round match for her.
“It was comparatively easy for me. Now it is time to focus on the next match. After All England I have worked on mental aspects as well physical,” second-seeded Sindhu said.
