Former champion PV Sindhu bowed out of the World Championships, but HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen produced dominant performances to advance to the third round in men’s singles here on Tuesday. Sindhu, the most successful Indian at the World Championships with five medals, lost tamely 14-21, 14-21 against old foe Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, a 2017 gold medalist and silver winner in 2019.
Sindhu was playing head-to-head with Okuhara in the first game until the break, when the Japanese shuttler led 11-9. Okuhara came out firing after the break, dominating with an all-around performance to take the first game 21-14. With two unforced mistakes to close the opening game, Sindhu appeared bewildered and failed to attack.
PV Sindhu started strongly in the second game, and Okuhara was taken aback. Sindhu stormed to a 9-0 lead because to her excellent wins and offensive performance. Okuhara, on the other hand, began her comeback with five consecutive points and reached the mid-game break down 9-11. While Sindhu was anticipated to put the game to bed, Okuhara had other plans, winning the second game 21-14 and knocking out the Indian shuttler.
Lakshya Sen advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of men’s singles after defeating Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin in straight games. Sen, who won the bronze medal in 2021, defeated Korean Jeon 21-11, 21-12. Thus, the Indian exacted revenge on the Korean, who defeated him in their lone meeting in the Asia Team Championship in 2022.
The Indians led 5-1 and gradually increased their lead against a struggling Jeon, who lacked the closing punch during the fast-paced rallies.
Sen went into the break with an 11-6 advantage and maintained it even after the restart, rapidly moving to 18-11 before finishing the opening game with three straight points. Sen led 4-1 at the start of the second game before sprinting to an 11-5 lead at the interval. He continued his strong play, easily defeating Jeon 21-12 in the second game
HS Prannoy easily dispatched Indonesian Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo. Prannoy employed variations to keep the onslaught coming from behind. He used a number of angled returns to go to 8-4 after a 4-4 start. Wardoyo made too many blunders for the Indian to surge to an 18-8 victory.
Prannoy finished the game with a forehand to the net, giving him 11 game points. Prannoy blasted flawless strokes in the second game, totally dominating the rallies. Wardoyo fought hard to turn things around in the game, but Prannoy easily won. Wardoyo clawed back to 13-13, but Prannoy surged ahead to 16-13 with a forehand cross-court stroke and a smash. T
he Indian was in fine form, reading his opponent well and using his arsenal of strokes to bring up the points. In the following round, Lakshya is scheduled to play his long-time opponent Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, while HS Prannoy will face Loh Kean Yew.
Featured Image: Tribune India