PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the Canada Open, Sai Praneeth crashes out

Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen start positively in the Canada Open 2023 BWF Super Event 500 in Calgary on Wednesday.

Currently ranked 15 in the women’s singles ranking, PV Sindhu started with a comfortable 21-16, 21-9 win over World no. 62 Talia NG of Canada. The double Olympic medallist has now progressed to the second round of the tournament.

It was a very cagey start for both the shuttlers as Sindhu and Talia were very equal in the initial exchanges of the match. The scores were tied at 13-all at a stage when Sindhu came up with some exceptional plays and got the lead and she eventually pocketed the opening game.

She carried the momentum of the first game into the second game and earned an early lead over the local hero. Sindhu maintained her intensity to the fullest as she won the game 21-9. Sindhu won seven consecutive points to win the second game and also progress to the next round.

The former World Champion will play Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira in the second round. Nidaira is ranked 27th in the BWF Women’s singles ranking.

Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen came up with a stunning victory over World No. 4 Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. It was a very tough battle but Sen managed to edge past the Thai shuttler by 21-18, 21-15 to progress to the second round.

It was a tough battle for Sen who has fallen off the cliff in recent times and is struggling to return to his best form. So this win will boost his morale and will help him regain the confidence that he had lost in recent events.

There was no room for errors in the rallies and Sen was just too good on the night in a battle that was decided by the barest of margins. Sen held his nerve well to win a crucial clash. He will take on Ygor Coelho of Brazil in the next round of the Canada Open.

In other news, B Sai Praneeth bowed out of the event after he suffered a defeat against Brazil’s Ygor Coelho. Sai Praneeth lost the match 21-12, 21-17. We would have witnessed an all-Indian clash between Sai Praneeth and Sen had the former won his battle against Coelho.

In Women’s Singles Gadde Ruthvika Shivani lost her clash against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong. She lost 21-12, 21-3 in the first round of the women’s singles. Lastly, Parupalli Kashyap, who won the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, lost out in the qualifying round of the event.

With the Olympics qualification event running in full flow, the shuttlers are more focused and charged to do well to secure their ticket to Paris next year.