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
=============
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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Gurugram CA held for slitting pregnant wife's throat with scissors
Jhajjar (PTI): A chartered accountant has been arrested for allegedly killing his pregnant wife by slitting her throat with a pair of scissors and trying to pass it off as a robbery attempt, police said on Wednesday.
According to police, Anshul Dhawan (31) got married to Mehak (27) in September last year. Both worked in Gurugram.
Police received a call on Sunday night reporting that some unidentified people tried to rob Anshul, took his car and kidnapped his wife, SHO Badli, Inspector Suresh said.
When police reached the spot, they found the woman's body near a dry canal with injury marks on her neck, he said.
Suspecting inconsistencies in Anshul's version of events, police took him into custody for interrogation. He confessed that he had killed Mehak with a pair of scissors, wearing gloves, over suspicions about her character, SHO said.
"During his questioning, it came to light that he had pre-planned the murder. His wife worked in a private bank in Gurugram. He had doubts that she talked to her friends, and he did not like it," SHO added. Following the confession, Anshul was arrested on Monday.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police said.
Mehak's sister, Shruti, told the reporters that the family had doubts that Anshul was involved in the murder. She said, "We want justice; the killer should be hanged. He did not even think that his wife was two months pregnant."
She said on February 15, Anshul came to their house and stayed only for ten minutes and left with Mehal for Gurugram.
Shruti alleged that Anshul had pre-planned the murder.
