Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024: PV Sindhu wins in first round, Lakshya loses and bows out
Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024: Indian badminton player PV Sindhu started with a win at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024, although Lakshya Sen was eliminated after losing in the men's singles.
At the BWF World Tour Super 500 series badminton tournament, the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024, on Wednesday, India had a mixed day. Lakshya Sen lost badly in the men's singles draw, but PV Sindhu won her opening round.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu defeated eighth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 21-12, 21-8 in 52 minutes on Court 1 of the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. At the same time, Paris Olympic Games semi-finalist Lakshya Sen was eliminated in three games, losing 22-20, 17-21, 16-21 to Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao in a match that lasted 74 minutes. India's top women's doubles pair Trisa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost in the first round on Tuesday.
Sindhu, who was looking to win her first title since the Singapore Open in 2022 and snap a 24-month drought, got off to a bad start as Ongbamrungphan went ahead 5-1. But 20th-ranked Indian shuttler Sindhu clawed back and she was leading 11-10 at the break.
The 29-year-old Sindhu then took full control of the match and pocketed the first game by scoring seven successive points to win it. In the second game, with the same pace she was 4-0 up, the Thai girl managed her first point.
Ongbamrungphan did attempt a fightback in the second game, but Sindhu was in flow, taking 11 of the last 12 points to wrap up the match and confirm a last-32 meeting with Canada's Michelle Li. Michelle Li reached the second round with a straight-game victory over Japan's Natsuki Nidaira.
On Court 4 of the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Lakshya Sen started promisingly to first recover from being on the back foot at 13-16 in the first game against Leong Jun Hao to take the first game 22-20. After that, the same ice-cold nerves were missing in the next two as he went on to lose both the games inspite of putting a fighting performance.
He came back from 1-4 down in the second game to level the score to 6-6 but the Malaysian shuttler opened up a 11-7 lead. After Sen took the lead, Leong broke for 14-14 and took the next four points to win the game 21-17.
While Sen moved ahead in the decider, the Malaysian shuttler consistently mounted pressure and clinched it 17-16 in the last five points to win the third game and match for a disappointing tournament end for Lakshya.
