Sports

Shetty, Prannoy Advance to Second Round at Orleans Masters

Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy both secure victories, advancing to the second round of the Orleans Masters badminton championship.

Sentinel Digital Desk

Orleans: India's 19-year-old Ayush Shetty caused a sensation in the men's singles section of the Orleans Masters badminton championship with a straight games victory over former World Champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in a Round of 32 match here on Wednesday.  Ayush, the talented youngster from Karnataka, defeated Loh Kean Yew, who won the BWF World Championship in 2021, 21-17, 21-9 in a 36-minute clash in the BWF World Tour Super 300 event at the Palais des Sports here.

It was a mixed day for India the experienced H.S. Prannoy made a winning start, beating World No. 24 Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in three games. Prannoy, the hero of India's triumph in the Thomas Cup in 2022, won 21-11, 20-22, 21-9 in a 60-minute encounter. Fellow Indian Kiran George went down to Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore in three games, 21-15, 16-21, 10-21, in just over an hour in another Round of 32 clash on Court 3.

In women's singles, Malvika Bansod retired with an injury trailing 6-21, 5-21 in her first-round match, while Unnati Hooda fell at the first hurdle, losing to top-seed and World No.1 An Se Young of South Korea, 9-21, 15-21. IANS

Also Read: New Zealand, South Africa square up in bid to erase past heartbreaks

Also Watch: