Tokyo [Japan], July 15 (ANI): India’s problem within the males’s singles draw on the Japan Open 2026 got here to an early finish after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty suffered first-round defeats on the BWF Super 750 event on the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Wednesday.
World No. 14 Lakshya Sen was outplayed by Japan’s Koki Watanabe, taking place 21-16, 21-14 in a match that lasted simply 38 minutes. The Indian struggled to search out his rhythm all through the competition, trailing 11-6 and 11-5 on the mid-game intervals of the 2 video games earlier than Watanabe comfortably sealed victory in straight video games, in response to Olympics.com.
The defeat marked Lakshya’s third loss in seven profession conferences in opposition to the world No. 17 Japanese shuttler.
Ayush Shetty, in the meantime, produced a spirited show in opposition to world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand earlier than bowing out in a hard-fought three-game contest. The Indian went down 19-21, 25-23, 15-21 in opposition to the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist.
The opening recreation was carefully contested, with Kunlavut holding a slender 11-9 lead on the interval earlier than edging the sport regardless of Ayush combating again to stage the scores at 19-19.
Ayush responded strongly within the second recreation, taking a slender 11-10 benefit on the break. The Thai star later earned 4 match factors, however the Indian confirmed exceptional resilience by saving all 4 earlier than clinching the sport 25-23 to drive a decider.
However, Ayush couldn’t maintain the momentum within the third recreation as Kunlavut regained management to finish the victory and enhance his head-to-head file in opposition to the Indian to 2-1.
India additionally suffered one other setback within the girls’s singles competitors as Unnati Hooda was eradicated after a 16-21, 21-16, 21-15 defeat to Huang Yu-Hsun of Chinese Taipei within the opening spherical.
With the most recent exits, India’s males’s singles marketing campaign on the Japan Open has come to a detailed. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu stays the nation’s lone consultant in girls’s singles after advancing to the second spherical on Tuesday.
India’s hopes in doubles now relaxation with the combined doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila, who additionally progressed to the second spherical. Earlier, males’s doubles pairs Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and MR Arjun-Hariharan Amsakarunan exited the event within the opening spherical. (ANI)