All England Open: Sindhu wins, Srikanth, Kashyap bow out

Chennai

India’s top-ranked women’s player Sindhu got the better of Soniia Cheah of Malaysia in straight games, winning by a scoreline of 21-11, 21-17. However, eighth seed Srikanth lost to Ireland’s unseeded player Nguyen Nhat 11-21, 21-15, 12-21 in the opening round of men’s singles. The match lasted exactly an hour, with the Irishman making a good comeback after losing the second game. Kashyap also bowed out of the event with a 13-21, 20-22 loss against top-seeded Kento Momota of Japan. But, there was some good news for India in women’s doubles. Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy defeated Thailand’s Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard 21-14, 21-12 in a match that lasted 30 minutes.