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Lakshya Sen and Kiran George progressed to the second round, while HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth suffered early exits with narrow losses in their respective opening matches at the Indonesia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Jakarta on January 24.
World no. 19 Sen, aiming to qualify for the Paris Olympics, secured a 24-22, 21-15 victory in his opening-round match against China's Weng Hong Yang, avenging his Malaysia Open first-round loss.
The 23-year-old George, a winner of Super 100 titles at the 2022 Odisha Open and 2023 Denmark Masters, overcame an opening game setback to secure an 18-21, 21-16, 21-19 win against France's Toma Junior Popov in another opening round match.
George, also a product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, secured a spot in the main draw with two wins on January 23.
Sen's next opponent in the second round will be either Malaysia Open champion Anders Antonsen of Denmark or Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo. On the other hand, George is set to face China's Lu Guang Zu in his upcoming match.
However, world no. 8 Prannoy, who reached the semifinals at the India Open Super 750 last week, faced a defeat in his opening round match against former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, losing 18-21, 21-19, 10-21.
The 31-year-old Indian, who secured maiden bronze medals at the Asian Games and world championships last year, faced another early exit, having lost in the first round at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament.
For former world no. 1 Srikanth, it was another day without success despite putting up a brave effort against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia, ranked 10th.
Srikanth, who is in a race against time to qualify for Paris, couldn't capitalise on an opening game advantage and lost 21-19, 14-21, 11-21 to Lee in a 54-minute clash, marking his second successive first-round loss of the season.
Sen was facing pressure to deliver after a challenging start to the new season, marked by first-round exits in both events he participated in.
His defeat against compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat in the India Open had significant implications for his Olympic qualification, as he needs to secure a position within the top 16 by the end of April to make the cut for the Paris Games.
The 22-year-old witnessed his 7-3 lead diminish as Weng took control, establishing a 19-12 advantage on January 24. However, Sen mounted a comeback, securing 12 of the next 15 points to surpass his opponent.
After changing sides, the contest for the first five points was intense before Sen extended his lead to 11-6 at the break.
Sen faced heightened pressure to deliver following a challenging start to the new season, marked by first-round exits in both events he participated in.
His defeat against compatriot Rajawat in the India Open had significant implications for his Olympic qualification, as he needs to secure a position within the top 16 by the end of April to make the cut for the Paris Games.
Sen witnessed his 7-3 lead diminish as Weng took control, establishing a 19-12 advantage on January 24. However, Sen mounted a comeback, securing 12 of the next 15 points to surpass his opponent.
After changing sides, the contest for the first five points was intense before Sen extended his lead to 11-6 at the break.
Weng displayed resilience to narrow the gap to 10-11, but the momentum shifted entirely to Sen afterwards. The Indian secured six consecutive points and maintained his stronghold to clinch victory.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by PTI)
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