Srikanth, Ayush, Unnati progress to second round

Taipei

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth began his Taipei Open Super 300 campaign with a strong victory, advancing to the second round. Srikanth, ranked World No. 61, won easily against fellow Indian Sankar Subramanian, beating him 21-16, 21-15. Srikanth, 32, is working to overcome a tough phase in his career. He will now face another Indian, Ayush Shetty, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Junior Championships. Ayush surprised third seed Lee Chia Hao from Taiwan, winning 21-17, 21-18 in 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, Tharun Mannepalli, the 2023 National Games gold medalist, fought hard to beat Japan’s Shogo Ogawa in a 70-minute match, winning 21-17, 19-21, 21-12. Tharun will meet Indonesia’s Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah in the next round. However, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam was eliminated after losing to Canada’s Brian Yang 21-23, 12-21.

In women’s singles, Unnati Hooda, who has won two Super 100 titles, defeated Anupama Upadhyaya 21-13, 21-17. She will face Taipei’s Lin Sih Yun next. Unfortunately, Aakarshi Kashyap lost 9-21, 12-21 to Taipei’s Hung Yi-Ting in the first round.