Jakarta, June 4: India’s singles campaign at the Indonesia Open came to an end as PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty faced defeats in their respective pre-quarterfinal matches. However, the men’s doubles duo of Hariharan Amaskarunan and Arjun Kumar Retinasabapathy kept India’s hopes alive with a hard-fought victory.
On Thursday, Sindhu’s journey in the women’s singles was halted by world number one An Se-young. The South Korean player defeated the Indian star 21-17, 21-15 in the round of 16, showcasing her dominance.
Two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu displayed her aggressive gameplay, challenging the South Korean for a significant portion of the first game. However, An’s ability to elevate her performance in crucial moments proved decisive once again. After gaining an advantage at the end of the first game, the top seed maintained complete control in the second game with her consistency and court coverage, securing her place in the quarter-finals.
With Sindhu’s exit, India’s hopes in the singles draw shifted to the emerging young player Ayush Shetty. The 21-year-old started strong against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, winning the first game 21-16. However, Lee bounced back to take the second game 21-13, pushing the match to a deciding game. Despite a promising start in the third game, the experienced Hong Kong shuttler made a strong comeback, winning the match 16-21, 21-13, 21-14.
With this defeat, India’s singles campaign in Jakarta concluded. Earlier in the tournament, both Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy were eliminated in the first round.
Amid this disappointment, Hariharan and Arjun delivered the day’s standout performance in the men’s doubles. The Indian pair overcame a slow start to defeat Malaysia’s A. Tai and KX Kang 16-21, 21-15, 21-19, securing their spot in the quarter-finals.
With the singles campaign over, all attention now shifts to the doubles draw, where Hariharan and Arjun will face the former world number one pair of Goh Jae-fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
Leave a Comment