India open super series : Sindhu, Pawar out

New Delhi (PTI): India's campaign at the India Open Super Series badminton tournament ended after P V Sindhu and Anand Pawar lost their respective women's and men's semifinal matches in straight games here on Saturday. While Sindhu lost 21-12, 21-6 to world number 6 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in just 31 minutes, Pawar was hardly a match for world number 9 Kenichi Tago of Japan as he went down 21-16, 21-11 in 43 minutes at the Siri Fort Sports Complex. The only time Sindhu posed any threat to her opponent was in the first game, but in the second she went down tamely. The opening game of the Sindhu-Intanon clash was a see-saw battle. While the third seeded Thai started with a 2-0 lead, the Indian was quick to win four points to move ahead. It was a couple of unforced errors by Intanon that helped earn Sindhu three straight points. But at the end it was a cakewalk for her as she capped off the second game 21-6. In the men's singles semifinal, it was a hard-fought contest in the opening game, involving long rallies and a number of net plays. After being tied till 6-6, though Tago surged ahead and always maintained a slight edge, the unseeded Indian fought hard and kept on winning a couple of points or three on the trot to reduce the gap. Sindhu gets top billing Meanwhile, Sindhu has been seeded No 1 in the women's singles at the upcoming $120,000 Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold to begin in Kuala Lumpur from Tuesday. The 17-year-old, ranked 15th in the world, is currently playing in the India Open Super Series here will play her semifinal match Saturday.