Indonesia Masters: Lakshya, Sindhu, Srikanth walk into second round with convincing wins

It was a successful day for Indian badminton at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta, as P.V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth all secured victories to advance to the second round. Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu, entering the tournament as the fifth seed, faced a tough challenge from Japan’s Manami Suizu. In a closely contested women’s singles opener that lasted 53 minutes, Sindhu showcased her trademark resilience to claim a 22-20, 21-18 win.

Troika of Lakshya, Sindhu, Kidambi notch victories in Indonesia Masters' first round

In the men’s singles draw, Kidambi Srikanth showed immense grit in a marathon match against world No. 22 Koki Watanabe. Currently ranked 33rd, the former world No. 1 needed over an hour to navigate a grueling three-set thriller, eventually triumphing 21-15, 21-23, 24-22. Srikanth's reward for outlasting his Japanese opponent is a second-round encounter against the fourth-seeded Chou Tien Chen, who advanced with a straight-sets win over Nhat Nguyen.

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Seventh seed Lakshya Sen also moved forward after a disciplined performance against Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei. The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist and reigning Australian Open champion took control in the deciding set to finish with a 21-13, 16-21, 21-14 victory. Sen will now shift his focus to his upcoming second-round match against Jason Gunawan of Hong Kong.

Anmol Kharb shines bright in women's singles

In the women’s singles draw, Anmol Kharb emerged as a bright spot for the Indian contingent, delivering a clinical performance to advance to the second round. She secured a straight-game victory over Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po, winning 21-16, 21-17. However, the rest of the women's field faced a tougher outing. Malvika Bansod was eliminated by sixth seed Michelle Li after a competitive opening game, while Akarshi Kashyap suffered a heartbreaking comeback defeat against Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen. Meanwhile, young talent Tanvi Sharma, a World Junior silver medallist, pushed fourth seed Tomoka Miyazaki to the limit in a grueling 68-minute match before eventually falling in three sets.

The men’s singles category saw a string of disappointing exits for several prominent Indian names. Former world top-10 star HS Prannoy was knocked out in just 35 minutes by Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, struggling to find his rhythm in the second set. Local Indonesian talents proved too strong for the younger Indian players, as Ayush Shetty was overwhelmed by eighth seed Alwi Farhan and Kiran George fell in straight games to Moh Zaki Ubaidillah.

India’s participation in the mixed doubles event also came to an end in the opening round. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde were unable to upset the fourth-seeded French pair of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, despite a close second set. In a more dramatic fashion, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were on the verge of an upset against Julien Maio and Lea Palermo; however, after splitting two high-intensity sets, the Indian pair faded in the decider, ultimately losing the match 23-21, 20-22, 6-21.