Japan Open: Sindhu falters again as Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya enter second round

Tokyo, July 16 (IANS) Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu suffered yet another early exit, crashing out in the opening round of the Japan Open Super 750 tournament in Tokyo on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old former world champion fell 15-21, 14-21 to Korea’s Sim Yu Jin, marking her fifth first-round loss of the season and underlining a troubling slump in form.

Sindhu appeared rusty and tentative from the outset, struggling with her length judgment and committing a string of unforced errors. Though she showed brief resistance in the first game, Sim kept her composure to secure her maiden victory over the Indian shuttler.

The second game saw Sindhu fall behind 1-6 early on. Despite rallying back to 11-11, she was unable to sustain the pressure as the Korean pulled away decisively to wrap up the match in straight games.

While Sindhu's woes continued, there was good news for India elsewhere. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, ranked 15th in the world, powered into the second round with a commanding 21-18, 21-10 win over Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Kim Dong Ju in just 42 minutes.

After a tightly contested opening phase, the Indian duo found their groove and thoroughly outclassed the Koreans in the second game with their trademark aggression and sharp net play.

In men's singles, Lakshya Sen also advanced comfortably, defeating China’s Wang Zheng Xing 21-11, 21-18. The world No. 18 looked in fine touch, racing to an 11-2 lead in the first game and never looking back. Xing put up more resistance in the second, but Lakshya’s early momentum helped him hold on and close out the match in straight games.

The 22-year-old will now face a tougher challenge in the round of 16 against Japan’s seventh seed and local favourite, Kodai Naraoka.

--IANS

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