Suncheon: World championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen and fast-rising Malvika Bansod progressed to the second round of the men’s and women’s singles competitions respectively after registering gruelling three-game wins at the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Tuesday. While Sen staved off a spirited challenge from local hope Choi Ji Hoon 14-21 21-16 21-18 in just over an hour in his opening round match, Bansod rallied her way to notch up a stunning 20-22 22-20 21-10 win over Han Yue of China.
Sixth seed Sen, who has been in sensational form in the last six months with back-to-back final finishes at German Open and All England Championships, will next meet Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito. Unseeded Bansod, who had reached the finals of the Syed Modi Super 300 tournament in January, will face sixth-seeded Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong in the second round.
In the third game, Choi took an 8-3 lead early on but Sen made his way to make it 16-13 in his favour and stayed ahead in the crucial moments to shut out the match. Bansod had enjoyed the lead for the better portion of the opening game and also held four-game points but she squandered it as Han earned the bragging rights. After the change of sides, Bansod once again dominated the proceedings with an 11-4 advantage at the break and went to pocket three-game points this time but Han once again caught up. However, the Indian didn’t let it slip this time to take the contest to the decider.