Fresh from ending her title drought by winning the Japan Open on Saturday, PV Sindhu continued her impressive run of form with a hard-fought first-round win at the China Open, while Ayush Shetty pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the day by defeating Indonesia’s World No. 11 Alwi Farhan to reach the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals in Changzhou on Wednesday.
Pusarla V. Sindhu (Xinhua via IANS)
Fresh from ending her title drought by winning the Japan Open on Saturday, PV Sindhu continued her impressive run of form with a hard-fought first-round win at the China Open, while Ayush Shetty pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the day by defeating Indonesia’s World No. 11 Alwi Farhan to reach the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals in Changzhou on Wednesday.
The two-time Olympic medallist defeated fellow Indian Unnati Hooda 21-14, 9-21, 21-10 in a 56-minute contest. The victory also gave Sindhu a measure of revenge after Hooda had knocked her out of the China Open last year. Although the Hyderabadi shuttler lost the second game, she bounced back strongly in the decider to seal her place in the second round.
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Sindhu will next face a tough challenge against fourth seed and former Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China. The Indian will head into the match with confidence after beating Chen during her title-winning run at the Japan Open.
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Ayush Shetty also enjoyed a memorable day, defeating former World Junior champion Alwi Farhan 21-17, 5-21, 21-17 to book his place in the last 16.
The win was particularly satisfying for Shetty, who had lost to Farhan in the semifinals of the 2023 World Junior Championships. After taking the opening game, the Indian struggled in the second as Farhan fought back strongly. However, Shetty regained control in the decider and held his nerve to register one of the biggest wins of his senior career.
India’s doubles campaign, however, ended in disappointment.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde lost in straight games to top seeds Yan Zhe Feng and Dong Ping Huang. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also bowed out after suffering a defeat against China’s Xin Wa Guo and Fang Hui Chen.
In men’s doubles, M.R. Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan were beaten by fourth seeds Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang, ending India’s challenge in the discipline.
Later on Wednesday, Lakshya Sen was scheduled to begin his men’s singles campaign against Japan’s Yushi Tanaka.
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