Bangkok, May 14 – Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen suffered a disappointing first-round exit at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament, while Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda progressed to the next round after hard-fought victories in their respective women's singles matches on Wednesday.
Lakshya Sen Falls in Opening Round
Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen ousted Sen in a tightly-contested three-game encounter that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. Despite a strong comeback in the second game, Sen lost 18-21, 21-9, 17-21.After conceding the first game, the Indian star rallied impressively to dominate the second. However, Nguyen maintained composure in the decider, pulling ahead at 17-13 and eventually sealing the win.
Priyanshu Rajawat Also Bows Out
In another early setback for the Indian contingent, Priyanshu Rajawat fell short in his opening match against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. Despite pushing the game to a decider, Rajawat lost 13-21, 21-17, 16-21.Aakarshi Kashyap Clinches Narrow Win
Aakarshi Kashyap edged past Japan’s Kaoru Sugiyama in a nail-biting three-game battle in women's singles. The Indians prevailed 21-16, 20-22, 22-20 in a match where margins were razor-thin, showing nerves of steel in the final moments of the third game.Unnati Hooda Fights Her Way Through
Unnati Hooda also displayed remarkable grit, overcoming Thailand’s Thamonwan Nithiittikrai 21-14, 18-21, 23-21. After a solid start, Hooda lost the second game but bounced back in a tense third to clinch the victory.Rakshitha Sree Exits After Straight Games Defeat
Meanwhile, Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj could not match up to eighth seed Yeo Jia Min of Singapore. She lost her opening round 18-21, 7-21, ending her campaign in the tournament.The Thailand Open continues, and hopes rest on Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda as they advance to the next round.