India Open: Sindhu out; Srikanth, Prannoy advance
New Delhi (PTI): Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was knocked out of India Open but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy progressed to the second round on a mixed day for the hosts at the USD 950,000 Super 750 badminton tournament, here Wednesday.
Sindhu, who reached the semifinals of Malaysia Super 1000 last week, couldn't maintain the pressure after narrowly pocketing the opening game to eventually go down 22-20 12-21 15-21 to Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen in 68 minutes.
"I don’t think it was my day, she isn’t an easy opponent. At this level, everyone plays well and you can’t expect easy points or easy wins. She has good strokes, you had to keep the tempo and keep the shuttle in play. Small mistakes in those moments become decisive," Sindhu said after her exit.
"I definitely need to be more consistent. Giving away easy or consecutive points is something I have to stop. After losing one point, I need to reset immediately and be ready for the next rally. That’s the main takeaway for me."
Earlier, former world No. 1 Srikanth had to dig deep to outlast fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19, while Malvika Bansod, returning from an injury layoff, displayed patience and defensive solidity to beat Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po 21-18, 21-19.
Prannoy, who received a last-minute entry in the tournament, made it count as he outwitted last year's runner-up Lee Cheuk Yiu 22-20 21-18 to advance to the second round. He will next face eighth seed and former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
Tanvi Sharma, silver medallist at the BWF World Junior Championship, then played her heart out before going down fighting 20-22 21-18 13-21 to world number 2 Wang Zhi Yi.
Indian women’s doubles campaign also got off to a positive note with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand cruising past Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai 21-15, 21-11.
The Indian pair, fresh from defending their Syed Modi International title, will next face seventh seeds Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min of China.
However, it was a disappointing day for India in mixed doubles, with three Indian pairs exiting the tournament at an early stage.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto went down 15-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde lost 19-21, 14-21 to Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen.
Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh were also shown the door after a 15-21, 7-21 defeat to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.
Sindhu vs Nguyen
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Coming into the match after two losses in her last two meetings against Nguyen, the Indian knew the importance of a strong start. She raced to a 3-0 lead.
The Vietnamese clawed back to 6-6 before Sindhu pulled away again to make it 12-6. Nguyen, however, stayed in touch, narrowing the gap to 11-12 and then 13-14.
A smash followed by a sharp cross court drop helped Nguyen close in at 16-17 before she drew level at 19-19 and earned a game point.
She failed to convert, though, spraying a return wide, and Sindhu capitalised immediately with a decisive smash to take the opening game.
The second game began on an even note with the scores locked at 4-4. Nguyen then moved ahead 7-4, but Sindhu once again reeled her in at 8-8. The Vietnamese went into the interval with a two point cushion and surged ahead to 15-9 after the restart.
A series of wide and long shots compounded Sindhu’s frustration as Nguyen raced to 19-11. A precise backline placement earned her multiple game points and she sealed the game with a body smash to force a decider.
The third game followed a similar script with neither player willing to yield ground. Two superb cross court smashes helped Sindhu stay level at 7-7 and the contest remained tight at 10-10 before another wide error from the Indian shifted momentum.
Nguyen seized control after the break, opening up a four point lead at 18-14 and then unleashed another accurate smash to move within two points of victory. The Vietnamese earned five match points. Sindhu erred again as she closed it out comfortably.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
