The Quaycentre Sydney buzzed with action on Day 2 of the Australian Open. H.S Prannoy, Aakarshi Kashyap, Anupama Upadhyaya, Malvika Bansood and mixed doubles duo Sumeeth Reddy-Sikki Reddy advance to the next round whereas Abhisek Yeligar and Ayush Rai Gupta-Sruthi Swain exited the tournament following defeats in their respective matches, on Wednesday.
HS Prannoy, India’s leading men’s singles player, dominated his match against Ygor Coelho of Brazil. Prannoy controlled the first set with a convincing 21-10 win. The second set was a nail-biter, with Prannoy edging past Coelho 23-21 to secure his place in the Round of 16.
Similarly, India’s top women’s singles player Aakarshi Kashyap cruised past Polina Buhrova of Ukraine in straight sets (21-14, 21-11) and will now face Kai Qi (Bernice) Teoh of Australia for a spot in the quarter-finals.
In the men’s singles category, Abhishek Yeligar, who had a strong qualifying run, couldn’t overcome Misha Zilberman of Israel. Zilberman dominated the match, winning 21-9, 21-15.
However, Sameer Verma defeated Ricky Tang of Australia 21-10, 21-10. Verma will now face a the former World Champion Loh Kean Yew in the round of 16.
Anupama, Malvika, Sumeeth-Sikki advance
Anupama Upadhyaya had a thrilling encounter against Wong Ling Ching of Malaysia. Upadhyaya prevailed in a close second set (23-21) after winning the first 21-14. She will now face sixth-seeded Putri Kusuma Wardani for a chance to reach the quarter-finals.
Malvika Bansod also secured a win, defeating her Indian counterpart Keyura Mopati, 21-10, 21-8. Bansod will be facing the winner between Yu-Hsun Huang and seventh-seeded Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo in the next round.
Indian badminton’s power couple, Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy, defeated, Tien Ci Wong and Chiew Sien Lim of Malaysia 21-17, 21-19 to book their place in the round of 16.
Unfortunately, Ayush Raj Gupta and Sruti Swain couldn’t overcome the Australian pair of Jordan Yang and Sydney Tjonadi in the mixed doubles category.