Sindhu on song, Lakshya off tune

Two-time Olympic medallist PV advances while Sen stunned in first round

PV Sindhu won her first-round clash while Lakshya Sen crashed out of the men’s singles draw as India had a mixed day in the Kumamoto Japan Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 500 series badminton event, here on Wednesday. Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, who is hoping to make up for a disappointing season by winning the women’s singles title in this event, defeated eighth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 21-12, 21-8 in 52 minutes.

Lakshya Sen, the Paris Olympic Games semi-finalist, ran into Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao and crashed out in three games, losing 22-20, 17-21, 16-21 in a 74-minute battle of attrition. India’s top women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had lost in the first round on Tuesday.

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Seeking to win her first title since the Singapore Open in 2022 and end a 24-month drought, Sindhu did not have a good start as Ongbamrungphan opened up a 5-1 lead. But the Indian, ranked 20th in BWF Rankings, fought back into the game and led 11-10. Sindhu, 29,  then took total control of the game, winning seven points in succession to clinch the first game. She continued at the same tempo in the second game and took a 4-0 lead before the Thai girl won her first point.

Ongbamrungphan tried to fight back in the second game, but Sindhu was in good rhythm and won 11 of the last 12 points to seal the win. She will face Canada’s Michelle Li in the second round. Michelle Li beat Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira in straight games in her opener. Meanwhile, Sen started on a positive note against Leong Jun Hao, coming back from a 13-16 deficit to win Game One 22-20.

In the second game, he fought back from 1-4 down to level scores at 6-6, but the Malaysian opened up a 11-7 gap. Leong took control from 14-14 and went on to win 21-17. Sen held a slight advantage in the decider, but the Malaysian shuttler kept snapping at his heels and finally won the final five points from 17-16 to win the third game and with it, the match.

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