Sport - Badminton

Upset win for Mishra

— Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

WELL DONE: Jwala Gutta and Aditi Mutatkar shake hands after their match.

GUWAHATI: Dinuka Karunaratne of Sri Lanka, seeded sixth, failed to find his rhythm against a fast attacking unseeded Indian Utsav Mishra and went down 13-21, 11-21 in the India International Challenge badminton championship at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Monday.

The Uttar Pradesh shuttler will run into Wee Chung Pei of Malaysia, who advanced after fourth-seed and National runner-up Anand Pawar withdrew on health ground.

Otherwise, the first tournament of such stature in this part of India, found all seeded players advance without much problem. Leading the charge was men’s top seed and National champion B. Chetan Anand and women’s favourite and National champion Saina Nehwal.

Among the day’s other impressive winners were men’s third seed Wei Feng Chong of Malaysia and women’s fourth seed Aditi Mutatkar.

Aditi was in complete control of the second round match against Jwala Gutta emerging a 21-13, 21-9 winner.

Mishra used his power and court craft to mesmerise the Lankan. Leading throughout the contest with telling smashes and delicate drop shots, the Indian found the going rather easy and made the most of the loose play by his rival.

Sagar Chopda, fifth seed P. Kashyap and Klaus Raffeiner of Italy were among the other winners.

Chopda first outplayed Clemens Smola of Australia at 21-4, 21-4, and then outclassed local boy Nikhilesh Sarma 21-5, 21-12.

Among women, second-seeded Japanese Kanako Yonekura made short work of doubles specialist Shruti Kurian 21-10, 21-13.

Third seed Trupti Murgunde powered past Sara Khan of Pakistan at 21-14, 21-6.

The women’s quarterfinal line-up would see Saina taking on Parul Rawat; Aditi meeting Thilini; Sayali Gokhale challenging Trupti and Neha Pandit squaring up against Kanako.

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