Srikanth pulls off another upset at Hong Kong Open

K.Srikanth

Hong Kong, Nov 19 (IANS)

Continuing his giant-killing spree, Kidambi Srikanth stunned World No.7 Chou Tien Chen to advance to the second round of the $350,000 Hong Kong Open Super Series along with leading women shuttlers Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu at the Hong Kong Coliseum here Wednesday.

Srikanth, fresh from defeating two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan in the final of the China Open, lost the first game 18-21 but managed to win the next two games 22-20, 21-16 against Chinese Taipei's Chou in a marathon encounter that lasted an hour and six minutes while Saina registered a facile 21-17, 21-11 win over World No.52 Jamie Subandhi of the United States.

In the second round, Olympic bronze medallist Saina will face the winner between US' Beiwan Zhang and Russian Ksenia Polikarpova.

In the other match, two-time World Championships bronze medallist Sindhu beat Thai World No.20 Busanan Ongbumrungpan 21-15, 16-21, 21-19 in 52 minutes. With this win, the 19-year-old Hyderabadi took a 4-0 lead in career meetings. In her next match, Sindhu will meet Japanese Akane Yamaguchi, who lost to Saina in the final of the China Open. Akane defeated Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po 21-12, 21-19 Wednesday.

However, the Indian women's and men's doubles pairs failed to clear the first round hurdles.

While the men's pair of Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy lost 15-21, 17-21 in 31 minutes to World No.3 Indonesian pair of Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, the women's 2011 World Championships bronze medallists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa went down 21-16, 14-21, 21-23 to Malaysian pair of Lim Loon Yin and Lee Yean Meng.

In the men's singles competitions, Ajay Jayaram and R.M.V Gurusaidutt lost their matches.

While Jayaram was thrashed 13-21, 7-21 by reigning world champion Chen Long, Gurusaidutt lost 15-21, 21-15, 20-22 to Japan's Sho Sasaki.