Denmark open: Sen vs Prannoy in pre-quarters, Zhang sends Saina packing

Odense, October 19

World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy advanced to the pre-quarterfinals after straight-game wins in the men’s singles, while veteran Saina Nehwal crashed out in the first round of the women’s singles in the Denmark Open Super 750 here today.

The unseeded Sen beat sixth seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia 21-16 21-12 in a first-round match that lasted 39 minutes to set up an all-Indian clash against Prannoy.

This was Sen’s third win of the year against Ginting, having beaten the Indonesian during the German Open in March and the Thomas Cup in May.

Prannoy had to toil during his 21-13 22-20 win over China’s Zhao Jun Peng in 43 minutes. By doing so, he avenged his Indonesia Open and World Championships defeats to the Chinese suffered earlier this year.

In the women’s singles, Nehwal made a first-round exit after losing 17-21 21-19 11-21 to China’s Zhang Yi Man in a 48-minute duel.

This was Nehwal’s second defeat of the year against the same opponent, having lost in the Macau Open in February. Her ouster ended the Indian challenge in the women’s singles.

The seventh-seeded men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat the South Korean duo of Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae 21-15 21-19 in a 44-minute first-round match.