The second day of the BWF World championships in Copenhagen saw mixed fortunes for India as Lakshya Sen and H S Prannoy were at their fluent best but PV Sindhu made another early exit. Lakshya thrashed Jeon Hyeok Jin of South Korea 21-11, 21-12, while Prannoy won 21-9, 21-14 against Indonesia's C A Dwi Wardoyo in the second round. Sindhu squandered a 9-0 lea d in the second game to lose 14-21, 14-21 to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
Sindhu got a bye in the first round and the match between the two former world champions was lop-sided. Okuhara, struggling to revive her career slowed down by injuries, looked very much like the 2018 world champion as she demolished Sindhu in 44 minutes. The sting was missing from Sindhu's attack and she looked lost at the net. "These kind of losses make you feel bad... It is important to go back and prepare well for the next championship," Sindhu said.
She also rued the missed opportunity in the second game. "I should have taken the second set. There were long rallies, I was giving away points and she was getting her confidence back. That made a difference," said Sindhu and added she needs to work on her physical and mental fitness. Lakshya faced no such problem against an opponent he lost to last year. In both games, Lakshya took an early lead. He hit hard, moved well on the court and surprised his opponent by varying his tactics.
"Physically, I found myself in good shape, especially the strength in my shoulder," said Lakshya and added that mixing his strokes helped him. "Mixing the smashes was the key to earn points. Overall, I am more steady on the legs," he added. Lakshya will play the winner of the second round match between third seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and Ygor Coelho of Brazil.
Other Indian results:
Women's doubles (Rd I): Debora Jille/Cheryl Seinen (Ned) bt Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam 21-14, 11-21, 21-14. Mixed doubles (Rd I): Venkat Gaurav Prasad/Juhi Dewangan lost to Jones Ralfy Jansen/ Linda Efler (Ger) 12-21, 11-21.
