Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu made a fighting start to her Indonesia Open campaign as she defeated Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 25-23, 21-16 to reach the pre-quarterfinals of the year’s third Super 1000 event at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 2. This win against Busanan helped Sindhu extend her head-to-head record against the Thai player to an overwhelming 21-1.
The two players from the golden generation of women’s singles had been playing each other since they were teens. Their first meeting came at the Badminton Asia Youth U19 Championships in 2012. Since then, the only time Busanan managed to take a match off Sindhu was at the Hong Kong Open in 2019 when she won in straight games.
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Coming to Jakarta following a quarterfinal finish, Sindhu made a fine start, but Busanan made her work hard throughout the game. A neck-and-neck battle prevailed, with neither player managing to claim a decisive lead. Rallies got longer and points became harder to win. Busanan also came close to stealing the game on one occasion. Sindhu, however, managed to hold her nerve to prevail 25-23, winning crucial points in an energy-sapping game. Following such an intense battle, Busanan gave Sindhu a wry smile as the Indian celebrated the game win with her trademark fist pump.
The win in the topsy-turvy opening game helped Sindhu grow in confidence and get into rhythm, and the two-time Olympic medallist started playing attacking badminton with her swift coverage of the court. Busanan, an experienced campaigner herself, fought hard to challenge Sindhu. But the Indian star managed to stay ahead in the game and close it out 21-16 to advance to the second round of the marquee event.
Sindhu now awaits a potential rematch against South Korean juggernaut An Se Young, who defeated Sindhu in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open Super 750 last week. Young, the World No. 3, has never lost to the Indian shuttler and has been on a nine-match winning streak. Young got a relatively easy draw in the opening round, facing Neslihan Arin of Turkey.
Arjun-Hariharan progress
Also progressing to the second round were MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan. The men’s doubles duo registered a thumping 21-18, 21-10 win over Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong of Malaysia.
However, it was the end of the road for Lakshya Sen, the country’s top men’s singles player. In the men’s singles round of 32 clash, Lakshya went down in straight games (19-21, 16-21) against home favourite and World No. 13 Alwi Farhan. Earlier, Kidambi Srikanth made a first-round exit, losing to Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 19-21, 15-21.
Malvika Bansod, in women’s singles, also made a Round of 32 exit, losing to Pornpawee Chochuwong 12-21, 10-21.
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In the women’s doubles category, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s comeback to the BWF World Tour since their withdrawal from the Swiss Open in March ended in a first-round exit, as they lost to Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari of Indonesia in straight games (14-21, 12-21).
Later in the day, Lakshya Sen in men’s singles and the promising mixed doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will be in action. Dhruv and Tanisha made a semifinal finish at the Singapore Open last week. The Indian pair face Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China in the first round.
