PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen registered wins to begin their campaign on a bright note at the USD 360,000 Indonesia Masters Super 500 tournament on Wednesday.
Lakshya beat Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 21-10, 21-18 while Sindhu defeated Line Christophersen of Denmark 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 in a 51-minute match.
Sindhu, a former world champion, came into the match with a 3-0 head-to-head record against Line but she blew a 11-9 advantage to lose the opening game, primarily due to her unforced errors.
In the second game too, Sindhu squandered a 3-0 lead but Line too couldn't grab the opportunity.
The Danish world number 22 played some superb cross-court smashes but errors put paid to her hopes. She missed the lines far too many times and also found the nets a lot to undo all her good work.
A wide shot from Sindhu helped Line to grab a slender 11-10 lead but she again went long as the Indian established a three-point cushion and extended it to 17-12 after an enthralling rally.
Sindhu kept things tight and eventually roared back into the contest after wasting three game points.
In the decider, Line was 4-1 up but it went up in smoke, partially due to her unforced errors. Sindhu too tightened the screws as she kept a grip on the rallies to move to 11-7 at the final break.
Sindhu kept pushing the shuttle at the baseline and didn't allow her rival to come near the net. Eventually the Indian moved to 11 match points with a precise return at the back and sealed it when Line went to net again.
Lakshya will face Denmark's Rasmus Gemke next, while Sindhu plays Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.
On a comeback trail after recovering from an injury, Sameer Verma couldn't put his best foot forward, losing 17-21 15-21 to Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
The mixed pairing of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto produced a gallant fight before losing 14-21 21-16 12-21 to fourth seeds Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti of Indonesia in an opening-round match.
(Inputs PTI)
