Badminton
US Open Super 300: Sai-Krishna Prasad advance, Kartikey Kumar falls short
Kartikey Kumar lost in the qualifiers, while Krishna Garaga and Sai Pratheek advanced to the second round of the US Open Super 300 in Texas.
Kartikey Gulshan Kumar in action at the US Open Super 300. (Photo Credits: BAI)
On the opening day of the US Open in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, Kartikey Gulshan Kumar's campaign in men's singles ended in the qualification rounds.
However, the sixth-seeded men's doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek secured a spot in the pre-quarterfinals.
Kartikey started the tournament strong, dispatching Canadian opponent Kevin Barkman in straight games (21-6, 21-9) during the first round of the men's singles qualification round.
However, his run was halted by Jhuo-Fu Liao of Chinese Taipei in the second round. Despite putting up a strong fight, Kartikey fell short, losing 13-21, 11-21, and failing to qualify for the main draw.
Meanwhile, the experienced duo of Krisha Prasad and Sai Pratheek displayed dominant form in the men's doubles category.
They comfortably defeated the Irish pair of Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds in straight games (21-14, 21-12) and will now face Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith of the USA for a place in the quarterfinals.
On the second day of the US Open, several Indian shuttlers, including Priyanshu Rajawat and Malvika Bansood, will begin their campaign, looking to seal their places in the next round.
