Prannoy makes winning start

Copenhagen, Aug 22: It was a mixed day for India at the 2023 BWF Badminton World Championships here with top stars H.S Prannoy and Lakshya Sen advancing to the second round while former silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth crashed out the first round. Prannoy, the highest-ranked Indian male player at World No. 9, defeated Kalle Koljonen, the world No.57 from Finland, 24-22, 21-10 in a Round of 64 match. Lakshya Sen, who won a bronze medal in the 2021 edition of the World Championship, had an even easier time on the court, beating world No. 111 Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius 21-12, 21-7 in his first-round encounter. However, India suffered a setback when Kidambi Srikanth, winner of the silver medal in the 2021 edition played at Huelva, Spain, crashed out in the first round, losing to Japan’s World No.15 Kenta Nishimoto in straight games. Former World No.1 Srikanth, who has now slipped to No.20 in the latest BWF World Rankings, lost to the Japanese 14-21, 14-21 in 47 minutes in the match played on Court 2.