Srikanth enters second round of Denmark Open

Odense, October 18

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India’s Kidambi Srikanth staved off a spirited challenge from Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus to progress to the second round of the Denmark Open Super 750 here today.

Srikanth, who had claimed the title five years ago here, notched up a 17-21 21-14 21-12 win over the world No. 14 in a 56-minute contest.

Coming into the match with a 3-all head-to-head record, Srikanth found the going tough against Angus early on and trailed 8-11 at the mid-game interval. Angus didn’t allow the Indian to make a comeback and eventually won the opening game.

In the second game, Srikanth managed to take a 6-3 lead but Angus turned the tables on him to grab a 10-8 lead.

However, Srikanth got his act together soon and reeled off eight straight points to move to 16-10. He kept his calm to take the match into the decider.

In the third game, Srikanth came out all guns blazing and jumped to an 11-4 lead at the interval. He produced some good quality shots at the net and also covered the court well to seal the match comfortably.

The former world No. 1 will take on 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the next round.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also advanced to the next round after beating Denmark’s Alexandra Boje and Amalie Magelund 21-15 21-15 in their women’s doubles opener.