India Open badminton tournament: Lakshya Sen makes winning start; Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand couple also stars | Badminton News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: India’s top shuttler Lakshya Sen started his India Open Super 750 campaign on a strong note on Tuesday. He advanced to the second round with a comfortable victory over fellow countryman Ayush Shetty. The match was played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.Lakshya, the 2021 World Championships bronze medalist, was in charge from the start. He defeated 20-year-old Ayush 21-12, 21-15. Playing his first match at Super 750 level, Ayush found the going tough against the experienced campaigner.

After the match, Lakshya spoke about the conditions and the challenge ahead.“I didn’t expect it to be so difficult, but I think it will get better from the second round,” said Lakshya.He also spoke about the adjustments to the new hall.“We thought the hall was big, so the shuttle could be a bit slower, but I think it was fast, and there was also a bit of drift or sideways, but I think again: in the first round we always have to adapt to the situations.”Lakshya praised his opponent and said he remained focused.“He’s a very, very good opponent and I really had to prepare for the match. I only watch one match at a time, so I don’t think too broadly, just concentrate on the next match.”In the opening match, Lakshya dominated early at the net. He rode to a 17-6 lead. Ayush tried to fight back and won a few points in a row, but Lakshya finished the match without any problems. The second game was more competitive. Ayush started well and led early. Lakshya soon found his rhythm. He sharpened his shots and forced mistakes. He took the lead late on and sealed the match with a strong winner.Lakshya will next face Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto. Nishimoto advanced after his compatriot Kodai Naraoka retired midway through the match.In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also started well. The Indian duo won 21-15, 21-11 against the Thais Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai. They will now play against seventh-seeded Chinese duo Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min.In the men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun won their first round match against Malaysians Teo Ee Yi and Ong Yew Sin. They will next face China’s fourth seed. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the next round after a walkover.Lakshya also spoke about planning his season carefully.“I think there are big tournaments coming up this year, so I think it will be important to maintain a good ranking, but also to peak at the right time for the big tournaments,” he said.“So I think in the training plan for the year or the tournament plans, we skipped a few tournaments to get good training so that towards the end, when big tournaments like Asian games and world championships are coming up, we are better prepared for that.”Elsewhere, fourth seed Chou Tien Chen in the men’s singles and French sixth seed Alex Lanier were knocked out on the opening day.READ ALSO: Fresh controversy amid 2036 Olympics ambitions: Danish badminton player Mia Blichfeldt blows India open terms