Badminton’s greatest show, the Yonex All England Championships 2019, began at Birmingham on Wednesday. The tournament will feature a total of 155 matches. Premier Indian shuttler PV Sindhu was knocked out in the first round after she lost 16-21, 22-20, 18-21 to former World No.2, Sung Ji Hyun of South Korea.
The marathon contest between fifth seed Sindhu and Sung lasted for an hour and 21 minutes. Earlier in the day, HS Prannoy’s campaign ended on a disappointing note as he lost a closely fought contest 19-21, 19-21 to compatriot B Sai Praneeth in the first round.
In men’s singles, India’s Kidambi Srikanth beat Brice Leverdez of France 21-13, 21-11 but Sameer Verma lost 21-16, 18-21, 14-21 against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. In women’s singles, India’s Saina Nehwal beat Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 21-17, 21-18.