Japan Open 2019: Sai Praneeth downs Kenta Nishimoto to storm into second round; Satwiksairak Rankreddy-Ashwini Ponnappa pair progresses

Tokyo: Indian shuttler Sai Praneeth stormed into the second round of the Japan Open after beating Kenta Nishimoto in straight games in the men’s singles event on Tuesday.

The unseeded Praneeth recorded a comfortable 21-17 21-13 win over the Japanese shuttler in just 42 minutes at the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament. He will face Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan in the second round.

In the mixed doubles event, Satwiksairak Rankreddy and Ashwini Ponnappa started their campaign on a winning note. The duo beat the German combine of Marvin Seidel and Linda Efler in straight games 21-14 31-19.

However, it was a bad day in the office for the men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and Sumeeth B Reddy, who crashed out with a 12-21 16-21 loss to Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin.

On Wednesday, top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth will begin their campaign in the women’s and men’s singles respectively.

Sindhu, who is seeded fifth, will face China’s Yue Han, while Srikanth will take on compatriot HS Prannoy.