PV Sindhu gets off to a positive start in Japan Open, clears first round

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu started her campaign on a winning note at the ongoing Japan Open as she edged past Sayaka Takahashi of Japan in the first round of the women' singles event here on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old defeated Takahashi 21-17, 7-21, 21-13 to advance further in the tournament.

The victory did not come easy for the Indian shuttler as she battled hard right from the opening game to earn points.

In the first game, Sindhu seemed to be losing her winning touch as she was trailing 8-16 against her Japanese counterpart. But the Asian Games silver-medalist made a remarkable comeback to accumulate ten consecutive points as she went on to register a thrilling 21-17 victory in the first game.

Another slow start in the second game costed Sindhu dearly as this time she conceded a 7-21 defeat to Takahashi.

Not repeating her mistakes, Sindhu controlled the proceeding of the deciding game right from the start. With the help of a perfect blend of aggressive and defensive shots, she clinched the game 21-13.

In mixed doubles, the Indian pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost to the Chinese duo of Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping 10-21, 19-21 in the opening round of the event.

-ANI