Tanvi stuns world No 11 Chiu, Sindhu cruises
Third seed Sindhu, Tanvi, Malvika Bansod, Isharani Baruah and Tanya Hemanth all progressed to the round of 16
Sydney: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu led a strong show by Indian women with an easy victory while teenager Tanvi Sharma pulled off an upset win in the women’s singles competition at the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.
Third seed Sindhu, Tanvi, Malvika Bansod, Isharani Baruah and Tanya Hemanth all progressed to the round of 16, but it was a disappointing day for the Indian men with Kiran George, Tharun Mannepalli and qualifier Saneeth Dayanand bowing out in the opening round. Sindhu barely broke a sweat in her opener, outclassing Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar 21-13, 21-11 in just 32 minutes.
The former world champion was in complete control throughout the contest, dominating the rallies and never allowing her opponent to settle into a rhythm. Sindhu will next face compatriot Isharani, who fought hard to overcome China’s Han Qian Xi 22-20, 10-21, 21-14 in a one-hour three-minute battle.
The biggest result of the day came from 17-year-old Tanvi, who upset fifth seed and world No. 11 Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 22-20 in 45 minutes. World No. 36 Tanvi will now take on fellow Indian Malvika in the round of 16 after the latter recovered from a game down to beat Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13. Tanya also joined the winning brigade, defeating Ishika Jaiswal of the USA 21-17, 21-18 in 39 minutes. She will face world No. 8 and second seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the next round.
In the men’s singles, George suffered a hard-fought 19-21, 21-14, 15-21 defeat to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in a match that lasted one hour and two minutes. Qualifier Dayanand found the going tough against China’s Hu Zhe’an, losing 8-21, 10-21 in just 35 minutes.
