The Indian contingent got off to a winning start at the $65,000 Yonex Canada Open with both HS Prannoy and Parupalli Kashyap making it to the second round of the Grand Prix event in Calgary on Tuesday. Second seed Prannoy needed just 40 minutes to dismiss the challenge of Mexico’s World No. 165 Job Castillo, 21-13, 21-15 in his opener.
He next faces Scotland’s World No. 69 Kieran Merrilees for a place in the pre-quarter-finals.
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Prannoy can breathe easy after the eighth seed Kazumasa Sakai crashed out in the first round. The Japanese was the one who halted the Indian’s giant-killing run at the Indonesia Open last month.
The two were scheduled for a quarter-final clash.
But there is still a big threat lurking in the World No. 23’s quarter as Kento Momota won his first round on Tuesday. The Japanese was ranked as high as World No. 2 in 2016 and has won multiple Superseries titles before being suspended for a year for illegal gambling.
The currently unranked Momota is a qualifier at this tournament.
Effortless performance from Kashyap
The Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap, meanwhile, did justice to his 16th seeding with a fluent 21-11, 21-9 win over the unheralded Daniel La Torre Regal of Peru.
Next up for him is the teenaged Koki Watanabe of Japan.
Abhishek Yelegar, Lakhanee Sarang and Karan Rajan Rajarajan also progressed in men’s singles on the opening day. The World No. 90 Yelegar overcame a stiff challenge in the first game and then dominated the second to notch up a 21-15, 21-5 victory over Vietnam’s Hoang Nam Nguyen. He will face American shuttler Howard Shu in the next round.
Sarang, meanwhile, prevailed over Canadian qualifier Eugene Chan 21-9, 17-21, 21-7 to set up a meeting with the top seed Lee Hyun II.
Guatemala Futures winner Rajarajan too displayed his grit and determination in his 13-21, 21-10, 21-13 triumph over Croatia’s Zvonimir Durkinjak.
World No. 85 Sam Parsons of England waits for him in the second round.
Harsheel Dani was the only Indian who made the exit in this category. The World No. 101 surrendered tamely, 11-21, 7-21 to the 11th seeded Lucas Corvee.
