Sudirman Cup: India go down to Denmark
India came a cropper after they lost the first three ties mixed doubles, men's singles and men's double in the five-match rubber.
New Delhi: Star shuttler P.V. Sindhu’s win was the only bright spot on a dismal day as India suffered a 1-4 loss to Denmark in their opening match of the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship in Gold Coast, Australia, on Monday.
Up against two-time runners-up Denmark, India came a cropper after they lost the first three ties — mixed doubles, men’s singles and men’s double —in the five-match rubber.
Starting the proceedings, the experienced Ashwini Ponnappa and young Satwiksairaj Rankireddy displayed good fighting spirit before going down 15-21, 21-16, 17-21 to the London Olympics bronze medallists Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen in the mixed doubles match that lasted an hour and 10 minutes.
A lot was expected from world no.13 Ajay Jayaram after his recent success against Viktor Axelsen at the Malaysia Open but the Mumbai shuttler lost 12-21, 7-21 in just 27 minutes as India slipped to 0-2.
In the men’s doubles match, Rio Olympians Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy crossed swords with former Olympic silver medallists Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, only to lose 21-17, 21-15.
Sindhu then saved India some embarrassment with a 21-18, 21-6 win over Line Kjaersfeldt in a 32-minute women’s singles match before Ashwini and N. Sikki Reddy went down 21-18, 15-21, 21-23 to Olympic silver medallists Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna.