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regular-article-logo Thursday, 02 May 2024

BWF World Badminton Championships 2023: HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen cruise ahead

Sen is likely to meet Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin, while Prannoy is expected to face Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo next

PTI Copenhagen Published 22.08.23, 10:13 AM
Lakshya Sen.

Lakshya Sen. File photo

Top Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen progressed to the men’s singles second round of the BWF World Championships with straight-game wins over Finland’s Kalle Koljonen and Mauritius’ Georges Julien Paul, respectively, here on Monday.

Prannoy, the world No. 9, who reached the quarter finals in the last two editions, saw off the left-handed Koljonen 24-22, 21-10 to extend his head-to-head count over the Finnish player to 3-0.

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Sen, the reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist, then streamrolled Paul 21-12, 21-7 in 25 minutes to follow Prannoy into the second round.

But former world No.1 Kidambi Srikanth made a first-round exit, going down to 14th seed Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 14-21, 14-21 in a 47-minute battle.

Earlier, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and N Sikki Reddy, ranked 33rd, lost to Scotland’s Adam Hall and Julie Macpherson 14-21, 22-20, 18-21 in a 59-minute contest.

Sen, who had won a bronze in the 2021 edition, is likely to meet Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin, while Prannoy is expected to face Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo next.

The match between Prannoy and Koljonen turned into a tight battle in the opening game. Prannoy, however, stayed calm throughout and shut the door on his opponent with a straight smash.

Sen, who had defeated Paul en route his CWG medal, brushed aside his rival. He opened up an 11-3 lead and though Paul managed to make it 8-12, the Indian soon changed gears to seal the opening game and then the match.

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