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PV Sindhu has exited Japan Open in first round, while Lakshya Sen and Satwik-Chirag advanced with dominant victories.
PV Sindhu made another early exit from Japan Open (Picture credit: AFP)
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu experienced yet another first-round exit, while Lakshya Sen and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the second round with comfortable wins at the Japan Open on Wednesday.
Sindhu, 30, and a former world champion, lost 15-21, 14-21 to Korea’s Sim Yu Jin in the Super 750 tournament, marking her fifth first-round exit this year.
In contrast, Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya secured dominant straight-game victories.
After a slow start, Sindhu appeared rusty, prone to errors and struggled with judgment of length. She showed some fight in the first game, but Sim regained control to claim her first career victory over Sindhu.
In the second game, Sindhu quickly fell behind 1-6. Although she managed to level the score at 11-11, the Korean pulled away with ease to seal the match in straight games.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag, ranked 15th in the world, beat the Korean duo of Kang Min Hyuk and Kim Dong Ju 21-18, 21-10 in just 42 minutes.
Satwik-Chirag took some time to settle in, with the Koreans matching them in the first game. However, once they found their rhythm, they were unstoppable, dominating the second game with clinical precision.
Satwik-Chirag are expected to face the fifth-seeded pair of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the second round.
Meanwhile, Lakshya, who has struggled for form this season with multiple first-round exits, looked sharp as he dispatched China’s Wang Zheng Xing 21-11, 21-18.
World No. 18 Lakshya was in complete control in the opening game, racing to an 11-2 lead before sealing it with minimal fuss. Xing mounted a better challenge in the second game, but Lakshya capitalised on his momentum to stay ahead and close out the match in straight games.
Next, Lakshya will face the seventh seed and local favourite Kodai Naraoka in the round of 16.
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