SKYCITY New Zealand Badminton Open: Jayaram, Pawar progress to second round

FILE PHOTO: Ajay Jayaram

India’s Ajay Jayaram overcame serious resistance from unheralded Malaysian Winson Neo before advancing to the second round of the SKYCITY New Zealand Badminton Open, which got under way at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland.

Ajay, who is the country’s highest seeded player in the tournament, made short work of the 372nd ranked Winson in the opening game, winning it 21-5.

India’s highest seeded player in the Yonex Australian Open a week back, Ajay looked at his fluent best as he came up with clinical winners from the baseline as well as the net to catch his opponent napping.

The Malaysian was resigned to his fate as Ajay bagged eight points on the trot to cruise through in the opening game.

Not many would have expected Winson to mount a fightback in the second game given his abject surrender in the first, but he dug deep into his reserves and started engaging the third seeded Indian in long rallies.

Winson gained confidence by his sheer ability to match the Indian in the rallies as the latter started to commit unforced errors. There was an extra spring in the strides of the Malaysian as he unsettled Ajay. The Indian was not allowed to run up a big lead as Winson kept pace with him and took the game to deuce (20-20).

Ajay brushed aside the visions of a decider when he held his nerve to win the second game at 22-20 and now plays Norway’s 125th ranked Marius Myhre in the second round.

Another Indian, fifth seed Anand Pawar started his campaign on a positive note, disposing off China’s 196th ranked Houwei Tian 21-15, 21-19.

Anand found his bearings early on and rattled up a decent lead to have the headstart midway through the opening game. The world number 48 played the closing points well to bag the first game at 21-15.

Houwei came out all guns blazing in the second game and forced a down-to-the-wire contest. The Indian looked unsettled against the stout resistance from the Chinese.

However, Anand regrouped well and finished things off, clinching the second game at 21-19.

Anand next meets Chinese Taipei’s 121st ranked Chia-hsin in the second round.

Old warhorse Chetan Anand pipped local boy Asher Richardson (ranked 428th) 21-10, 21-16 in the first round.

Arvind Bhat became the fourth Indian to progress on the opening day of the tournament. The 100th ranked shuttler edged out Malaysia’s 473rd ranked Yu Fu Lim of Malaysia 21-9, 21-13 in round one.

Two other Indians – fourth seeded RMV Gurusaidutt and qualifier Kirtesh Dhindhawal are also in the fray.