Ace shuttler PV Sindhu thumped compatriot Arundhati Pantawane 21-17, 21-6 to enter the second round of the India Open in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Sindhu began gingerly with Pantawane matching her shot for shot in the first game, as she headed into the break trailing Sindhu 10-11. Pantawane kept the pressure up after resumption of play, but could not keep pace with the third seed, who quickly earned a sizeable lead. Sindhu eventually clinched the game 21-17.
Riding on the momentum, the Olympic silver medallist took an early lead in the second game. She headed into the break with a 11-3 advantage and began asserting her dominance after the change of ends. Her superior court coverage and shot variations, had Arundhati chasing her for the rest of the game. She closed out the game in 31 minutes.
Earlier, sixth seed Saina Nehwal defeated Chinese Teipei’s Chia Hsin Lee 21-10, 21-17 to enter the second round. Rituparna Das also booked her place in the second round after beating Chiang Mei Hui of Chinese Teipei 19-21 21-15 21-19.
Meanwhile, in the men’s draw, Sameer Verma beat Son Wan Ho of South Korea 21-17, 21-10 to progress. B Sai Praneeth also advanced with a hard-fought 16-21, 21-12, 21-19 win over Japan’s Nishimoto Kenta.
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