Thailand Open: Sindhu, Srikanth Advance; Ayush Shetty Exits After Tough Fight

Bangkok - At the Thailand Open in Bangkok, Indian shuttlers witnessed a mixed day on Wednesday as P. V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the second round with convincing wins, while young talent Ayush Shetty bowed out after a hard-fought contest.

Former world champion Sindhu cruised past Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong 21-9, 21-12 in just 33 minutes. The sixth seed dominated the match from the beginning with aggressive shot-making and excellent court coverage, registering one of her quickest victories of the season.

The two-time Olympic medallist, still chasing her first BWF World Tour title since the 2024 Syed Modi International, will next face Denmark’s Amalie Schulz in their maiden encounter.

Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Srikanth delivered an impressive performance to defeat Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew 21-14, 21-15 in the opening round. The match was a rematch of the 2021 World Championships final, but Srikanth remained in control throughout and comfortably secured his place in the round of 16.

The 2013 Thailand Open champion will now take on Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang for a spot in the quarter-finals.

However, Ayush Shetty’s campaign came to an end against Japan’s sixth seed Kodai Naraoka. Despite entering the contest with a 2-1 head-to-head advantage, the Indian lost 21-13, 17-21, 21-4 in 59 minutes. Ayush fought back strongly to level the match after dropping the first game, but Naraoka dominated the decider with his relentless pace and defensive play.

In another major result, teenage Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda stunned home favourite Pornpawee Chochuwong with an impressive 11-21, 21-17, 21-16 comeback victory.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Anmol Kharb narrowly missed out on a big upset against reigning champion Chen Yu Fei of China. After winning the opening game and taking an 11-2 lead in the decider, Anmol failed to hold on as the Chinese star bounced back to win 19-21, 21-13, 21-18.

Elsewhere, Tharun Mannepalli suffered a straight-game defeat against Japan’s Koki Watanabe.

Later in the tournament, Indian players Lakshya Sen, Tanvi Sharma, Devika Sihag, Malvika Bansod and Isharani Baruah are scheduled to compete in singles events, while three Indian pairs will also feature in mixed doubles.

With inputs from IANS