PV Sindhu Advances to Japan Open Second Round, Dhruv-Tanisha Also Progress

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu began her campaign at the Japan Open Super 750 with a dominant straight-games victory over Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching , advancing to the women's singles second round and giving India a strong start at the prestigious badminton tournament on Tuesday.

The world No. 10 Indian, who won the 2019 World Championships , delivered a composed and controlled performance to defeat the world No. 37 Malaysian 21-14, 21-11 in the opening round.

Sindhu took charge from the outset, dictating the pace of the rallies and opening up an early lead. Benefiting from a series of unforced errors from Wong, she moved ahead 11-6 at the mid-game interval of the opening game. The Indian star mixed her attack effectively with delicate net dribbles, well-disguised drops and sharp smashes to keep her opponent under pressure. Despite a few stray errors, Sindhu remained firmly in control and sealed the first game comfortably.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with Sindhu racing to an 8-2 lead before extending her advantage to 11-3 at the interval. Wong struggled to find consistency as the Indian continued to dominate both at the net and from the backcourt. Sindhu surged to a commanding 16-5 lead and never looked troubled, eventually wrapping up the contest after converting one of her 10 match points to secure a convincing victory.

India also enjoyed success in the mixed doubles event, where Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced to the second round with a solid 21-16, 21-14 win over Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson . The Indian pair looked sharp throughout the contest and maintained control in crucial exchanges to progress comfortably.

However, it was disappointment for another Indian mixed doubles combination, as Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde crashed out in the opening round. The duo were outplayed 11-21, 10-21 by top-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping , who demonstrated their class and experience.

India's challenge at the tournament continues later in the day with third-seeded men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scheduled to face Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard in their opening-round match. Another Indian duo, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun , are also set to begin their campaign against Chinese Taipei's Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan .

With Sindhu looking in fine touch and Indian doubles pairs making progress, the country's contingent will be hoping to build momentum as the tournament moves into the later rounds.