India's Saina Nehwal moved in to the second round of the Thailand Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament with relative ease while compatriot Arundhati Pantwane had to fight hard in the opening round of women's singles event here Wednesday.
Saina, who is ranked No.2 but is the top seed in this tournament, took just 29 minutes to demolish her Chinese Taipei opponent Shih Han Hung of Chinese Taipei 21-11, 21-16.
The 23-year-old from Hyderabad will next take on Febby Angguni of Indonesia in the second round Thursday.
Arundhati, who hails from Nagpur, had contrasting fortunes as she had top battle hard against Min Ji Lee of Korea but ultimately prevailed 14-21, 21-9, 21-15 in 45 minutes.
However, it was not all smooth sailing for the Indians as PC Thulasi lost 14-21, 17-21 to third seed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand.
Indian men's singles players also had a good day in the office with Sai Praneeth B, Ajay Jayaram, HS Prannoy, Sourabh Verma, Anand Pawar and K Srikanth reaching the second round.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app