New Delhi: Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap knocked out top seed Lee Hyun Il of Korea in the men’s singles opening round of the US Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Anaheim on Thursday.
On the comeback after a shoulder injury, Kashyap dished out a gritty performance to stave off the challenge from world no. 15 Lee 21-16, 10-21, 21-19 in a match that lasted an hour and three minutes.
Fifth seed Sameer Verma, who also is making a comeback from a shoulder problem, defeated Vietnam’s Hoang Nam Nguyen 21-5, 21-10 in another men’s singles match.
Second seed H.S. Prannoy, who was in rampaging form at the Indonesia Super Series Premier, also reached the second round after beating Austria’s Luka Wraber 21-12, 21-16, while Harsheel Dani brushed aside Mexico’s Arturo Hernandez 21-13, 21-9.
World no. 59 Kashyap faces Hungary’s Gergely Krausz, former national champion Sameer takes on Crotia’s Zvonimir Durkinjak, Prannoy meets Ireland’s Joshua Magee and Dani squares off against Vietnam’s Tien Minh Nguyen.
In the women’s singles, Rituparna Das defeated Canada’s Rachel Honderich 21-16, 21-18 and Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli beat USA’s Maya Chen 21-13, 21-16.
However, it was curtains for Lakhanee Sarang, Abhishek Yelegar, Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka, Reshma Karthik and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde.
Lakhanee lost 16-21, 13-21 to Kenta Nishimoto of Japan, Abhishek suffered a narrow 17-21, 21-16, 13-21 loss to third seed Brice Leverdez of France and Netherlands’ Gayle Mahulette ended Sai Uttejitha Rao’s campaign 23-25, 21-13, 21-16.
Ruthvika put up a gallant fight before losing 14-21, 27-25, 16-21 to Japan’s Aya Ohori and Reshma’s fight too ended with a heart-breaking 21-12, 16-21, 15-21 loss to Sofie Holmboe Dahl of Denmark in the opening round.
In the men’s doubles, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy defeated Canada’s Jason Anthony Ho-Shue and Nyl Yakura 21-15, 21-19, while Francis Alwin and Tarun Kona beat local combo of Yan Tuck Chan and Brian Chi Cheng 21-3, 21-10.
Women’s doubles pair of Meghana Jakkampudi and Poorvisha S Ram defeated Japan’s Rira Kawashima and Saori Ozaki 21-16, 14-21, 21-14, while Manu and Maneesha beat Canadian combo of Nyl Yakura and Brittney Tam 21-13, 21-15 in the mixed doubles competition.
Third seed Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy lost 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 to English pair of Ben Lane and Jessica Pugh in the mixed doubles.
