Shuttlers Srikanth, Jayaram enter Japan Open second round

Ace Indian shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and Ajay Jayaram progressed through to the second round of the Japan Super Series after winning their respective men's singles contest on Wednesday.

Eighth-seeded Srikanth survived an early scare from fellow country man Parupalli Kashyap to clinch a 14-21, 21-14, 23-21 win in the opening round contest that lasted for almost an hour.

Jayaram, on the other hand, took 46 minutes to sweep aside his Indonesian opponent Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-19, 23-21.

In another match of the day, India's H. S. Prannoy also advanced to the next round after struggling past Malaysia's Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin 23-21, 19-21, 21-18 in a thrilling opening round contest.

Meanwhile, it was a disappointing day for B. Sai Praneeth as he crashed out of the tournament after suffering a crushing 9-21, 23-21, 21-10 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long Angus.