Kidambi Srikanth defeated HS Prannoy in a tough match to enter the second round of the Swiss Open Super 300 on Wednesday. Srikanth, ranked world No. 49, stayed calm under pressure and won 23-21, 23-21. He played better at key moments against world No. 28 Prannoy. As a result, he secured victory in just 48 minutes. With this win, Srikanth now leads Prannoy 7-3 in international matches.

Shankar Subramanian Cruises to Victory

Meanwhile, Shankar Subramanian dominated Magnus Joahnnsen in another men’s singles match. The world No. 64 controlled the game from the start and won 21-5, 21-16 in just 38 minutes. Consequently, he moved into the second round with ease.

Isharani Barua Shocks Aakarshi Kashyap

At St Jakobshalle Indoor Arena, Isharani Barua pulled off a surprise win against Aakarshi Kashyap. Initially, Barua, ranked No. 78, lost the first game. However, she fought back strongly to claim a hard-earned 18-21, 21-17, 22-20 victory. As a result, she secured a spot in the second round of the $250,000 event after a grueling 68-minute battle.

Mixed Results for Other Indian Players

On the other hand, other Indian players had a tough time in their opening matches. Malvika Bansod started well against world No. 20 Michelle Li of Canada. However, she could not maintain her momentum and lost 22-20, 14-21, 19-21. Meanwhile, Denmark’s Line Christophersen proved too strong for Rakshitha Ramraj, winning 21-11, 21-17.

In men’s singles, Japan’s world No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto faced Ayush Shetty. Although Shetty put up a fight, Nishimoto sealed a 21-15, 21-19 win.

Indian Mixed Doubles Pair Falls Short

In mixed doubles, Asith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh struggled against China’s Yi Jun Zhu and Chi Zhang. Despite their best efforts, they could not keep up and lost 21-10, 21-9.