PTI
NEW DELHI, MARCH 30
Defending champion Saina Nehwal and Rituparna Das advanced to the second round of the women’s singles competition of the USD 300,000 India Open Super Series at the Siri Fort stadium here today.
Olympic bronze medallist Saina thrashed compatriot Tanvi Lad 21-7, 21-13 in a lopsided 34-minute match, while Rituparna Das defeated compatriot Anura Prabhudesai 21-18, 21-15 in another women’s singles match.
B. Sai Praneeth, who had stunned two-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei in the opening round of All England Championship, lost 20-22, 13-21 to Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia, while Ajay Jayaram blew away a 11-7 and 19-17 lead in the decider to go down 12-21, 21-13, 19-21 to German’s Marc Zwiebler in the opening round of men’s singles.
Women’s singles player Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also suffered a 10-21, 14-21 loss to sixth seeded Chinese Wang Shixian, who reached the finals of the All England earlier this month.
In men’s doubles category, Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar, who reached the finals of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, beat Arjun Kumar Reddy Malgari and Santosh Ravuri 21-17, 21-16.
Another Indian men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy, who won the Mexico Open last year, beat compatriots Vineeth Manuel and S. Sanjeeth 21-13, 21-13 in another lopsided match.
Manu again paired up with Ashwini Ponnappa to thrash compatriots Kapil Chaudhary and Smriti Nagarkoti 21-7, 21-3 in a mixed doubles match, while Pranaav and Sikki Reddy notched up a thrilling 21-17, 17-21, 21-14 win over Korean combo of Solgyu Choi and Eom Hye Won in another mixed doubles clash.
In women’s doubles, Mohita Sahdev and Sanjana Santosh defeated fellow Indians Smriti Nagarkoti and Parssa Naqvi 21-19, 21-7.
