Lakshya Sen advances to 2nd round; Prannoy crashes out of tournament

In the All-England Badminton Championship, top contender Lakshya Sen has advanced to the second round, beating Chinese Taipei’s Su Li-yang 13-21, 21-17, 21-15 in a first-round clash in Birmingham yesterday but compatriot H.S.

Prannoy crashed out of the prestigious tournament, losing to Toma Junior Popov of France in straight games 21-19, 21-16.  Meanwhile, two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu will spearhead the Indian campaign in the women’s singles at 4:30 PM IST today. Currently 15th in the women’s singles rankings, Sindhu will return to the court for the first time since the Indonesia Masters in January.