Singapore: Former champion P V Sindhu advanced to the second round of the women’s singles, while Lakshya Sen fought valiantly but succumbed to world number one Viktor Axelsen at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Wednesday.
Sindhu, a past winner at the Singapore Open, entered the tournament following a runner-up finish at the Thailand Open last week. She secured a 21-12 22-20 victory in 44 minutes against Denmark’s world number 21, Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt, setting up an anticipated encounter with Spain’s Rio Olympic champion, Carolina Marin.
Marin holds a commanding 11-5 record against Sindhu, with their recent clash at the Denmark Open marked by heated exchanges resulting in yellow cards for both players.
Meanwhile, world number 14 Lakshya Sen, set to make his Olympic debut in Paris, put up a spirited performance but ultimately fell 13-21 21-16 13-21 in 62 minutes against Axelsen. Axelsen, fresh from a victory at the Thailand Open, clinched his first title of the season.
In other matches, Kidambi Srikanth retired trailing 14-21 3-11 against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka. B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy lost 18-21 19-21 to Malaysia’s Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie in mixed doubles, while Venkat Gaurav Prasad and Juhi Dewangan were defeated 8-21 8-21 by Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch.
Sindhu displayed resilience against Line, initially tied 8-8 before asserting control with a series of well-executed shots, securing a decisive lead and ultimately a straight-set victory.
In his match against Axelsen, Lakshya faced early challenges but rallied in the second game with aggressive play, momentarily gaining the upper hand. However, Axelsen’s experience and tactical adjustments turned the tide in his favor, clinching the match decisively in the final game.
