Guwahati: Star shuttler PV Sindhu opened her campaign Thursday in the 83rd Senior National Badminton Championships with a straight-game win over Nagpur’s Malvika Bansod to enter the women’s singles quarterfinals here.
Sindhu took time to get into the groove before beating Malvika 21-11, 21-13. Malvika incidentally, is a gold medallist at the South Asian U-21 Championships in Nepal and a runner-up at Khelo India Games.
Like last year, the top eight players of the competition on the combined basis of world and domestic rankings were given direct entry into the singles pre-quarterfinals for which a super draw was held Wednesday night.
Malvika made a dream start, moving to a 4-0 lead. Soon Sindhu clawed her way back to level the scores with a push at the back court. Sindhu eventually grabbed a 11-7 advantage at the break and after that she built on it. At 19-11, Sindhu unleashed a couple of smashes to seal the first game.
In the second game, Sindhu quickly sprang to 9-2 lead with Malvika committing unforced errors. The Hyderabadi went into the break with a 11-4 lead.
Malvika played well in the rallies but lacked the finishing touch. Sindhu eventually wrapped up her pre-quarterfinal match in 35 minutes with a precise return at the forecourt.
PTI
