Syed Modi International 2019: Srikanth Sails Into 2nd Round; Kashyap, Lakshya Get Walkovers

Kidambi Srikanth hardly dropped a sweat as he sauntered into the men’s singles second round of the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships 2019 in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Srikanth sailed past Russian Vladimir Malkov 21-12, 21-11 to enter the second round where he’ll face compatriot Parupalli Kashyap.

However, Kashyap got walkover from Frenchman Lucas Corvee in his opening round contest.

The 18-year-old Lakshya Sen, who won the Scottish Open last week, also got a walkover after another French shuttler Thomas Rouxel who also withdrew from the competition.

In the women’s singles, Ashmita Chaliha advanced to the second stage after beating compatriot Vrushali Gummadi in straight games. Chaliha prevailed 21-16, 21-16 in a contest that lasted 32 minutes.

A host of high-profile shuttlers have withdrawn from USD 150,000 championships including former champion Saina Nehwal and the current world champion PV Sindhu. In the men’s singles, second seed Ng Ka Long Angus (Hong Kong) and last year’s runners-up and sixth seed Lu Guanzu of China have also pulled out.