Australian Super Series: Tough 1st round for Indians

Sydney: Commonwealth Games champion P. Kashyap was handed a clash with world no. 1 Korean Son Wan Ho in the main draw of the Australian Super Series on Tuesday after coming through the qualifiers with two wins on the trot.

Kashyap saw off China’s Zhao Junpeng 21-15, 21-18 in the opening round before beating Indonesia Super Series Premier runners-up Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai 21-5, 21-16 in the second men’s singles qualifying match.

In the main draw, Indonesia Super Series Premier champion K. Srikanth faces Kan Chao Yu in the opening round after the shuttler from Chinese Taipei defeated Australia’s Jacob Schueler 21-15, 21-8 and Chinese Taipei’s Chun-Wei Chen 21-15, 23-21 in the qualifiers. H.S. Prannoy, who defeated Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei and Rio gold medallist Chen Long in Indonesia last week, got a direct entry into the main draw and will take on England’s Rajiv Ouseph.

Young Siril Verma also made it to the main draw after brushing aside Indonesia’s Yehezkiel Fritz Mainaky 21-9, 21-9 and then defeating compatriot Shreyansh Jaiswal 21-16, 21-15.

In the women’s singles qualifying round, Ruthvika Shivani Gadde beat Australia’s Sylvina Kurniawan 21-15, 21-15 and then dumped another local player Ruwindi Serasinghe 21-9, 21-7 to make it to the main draw.