India Open: Sindhu triumphs on mixed opening day for Indians

Indian badminton fans had much to cheer about on the opening day of the BWF India Open as two-time Olympic medallist and local favourite PV Sindhu advanced to the second round of the women's singles category in the national capital on Tuesday.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 14 JANUARY

Sindhu thus made a winning start in her first event after returning to international competition after her marriage.

However, the other Indian stars in action on the first day of the Super 750 event did not fare too well on what turned out to be a mixed day for the hosts.

The fifth-seeded women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand crashed out in the opening round itself after losing the first game of their campaign.

Sindhu, who is hoping to make it back into the top 10 by overcoming the recent slump in her form and rankings, defeated Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei 21-14, 22-20 in a 51-minute encounter in the women's singles Round of 32 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.

Treesa and Gayatri, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallists, were stunned by the unseeded Japanese pair of Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto in a hard-fought clash, going down 21-23, 19-21 in a close encounter.