In a tournament marked by withdrawals galore by Indian shuttlers, Anwesha Gowda is the solitary Indian to reach the round of 16 at Australian Open Super 300 in Sydney.
Gowda, the 14-year-old who is in the world’s top 10 in junior rankings, defeated Australia’s Pitchaya Elysia Viravong 21-9 21-11 in the round of 32 women’s singles match.
Elsewhere in women’s singles, Tanya Hemanth lost in two games against Malaysia’s Jin Wei Goh, 15-21, 16-21. The Malaysian, a former junior world champion who is on a comeback trail, is Gowda’s next opponent.
In men’s singles, Sameer Verma was listed as giving a walkover in his opening round match. He had been retired hurt mid-match recently in the opening round at Hylo Open in Germany.
In women’s doubles, the Panda sisters — Rutaparna and Swetaparna — lost against Chia Hsin Lee and Chun Hsun Teng of Chinese Taipei in straight games, 16-21, 14-21 in just 32 minutes.
The tournament, the last of the BWF World Tour events before the season finale, has witnessed a slew of withdrawals. From India’s point-of-view, Saina Nehwal, Lakshya Sen, Srikanth Kidambi and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty were among those who were entered to play the tournament but pulled out later.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!