Syed Modi World Tour Badminton: Saina, Pranav notch wins; Pranaav-Sikki crash out
The HinduDefending champions Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy crashed out in the mixed doubles opening round, but Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap notched up easy wins to make a positive start at the Syed Modi World Tour Super 300 here on Wednesday. Second seeded Saina, who had won the Lucknow tournament thrice in the past, thrashed Mauritius’ Kate Foo Kune 21-10 21-10 in the women’s singles, while former Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap disposed of Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-14 21-12 in a one-sided men’s singles match. Former Singapore Open champion B. Sai Praneeth also crossed the men’s singles opening hurdle, beating Russia’s Sergey Sirant 21-12 21-10. Former national champion Rituparna Das, seeded eighth, saw off Russia’s Natalia Perminvova 21-19 18-21 21-10 and will face compatriot Shruti Mundada in the women’s singles.