Bangalore shuttle player Arvind was up against compatriot Anup Sridhar and the 33-year-old ensured a 21-17 21-15 win to crash into the second round. He will take on second seed Boonsak Ponsana next.
Meanwhile, there are more Indian shuttlers like Ajay Jayaram, Anand Pawar and Arvind Bhat who have reached the second round of the German Open badminton championship after notching up contrasting wins in their corresponding men's singles matches at Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
This was one of the finest shows by the Indian badminton players abroad. Definitely, this will increase the confidence levels of other players for sure. It now needs to be seen that how far Indians will be able to maintain the form.
World number 32 Jayaram, seeded 10th, remained over Brice Leverdez of France 21-12 21-18 in just over half an hour last night to set up a tough fight with Riichi Takeshita of Japan in the second round.
Considering the kind of invincible form in which Jayaram, it should not be a big problem for him to win the match against his Japanese opponent. The way Indians have played till now in the tournament displays a mature side of them, which is essential in international tournaments such as this.
Mumbai's Anand Pawar was however prolonged to a three-game match but the world number 51 wong against Michael Lahnsteiner of Austria 22-20 16-21 21-16 in the end at the RWE-Sporthalle. Pawar will meet sixth seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the next round.
There was nothing went wrong for the Indians on the day that belonged to the Asians with much more in store in the coming days. Perhaps, it was a perfect treat for the fans back home. There are those instances during which the best concepts have to be considered in such a way that the strategies need to be put perfectly in place.
However, there was a baffling moment of reaction for the Indians when Bangalore shuttler Arvind was pitted against the fellow Indian Anup Sridhar in a match during which the 33-year-old emerged as the winner. This has propelled him to the second round. He will take on second seed Boonsak Ponsana next. Hopefully, it is highly anticipated that the Indians will maintain their winning streak.
On the flip side, it was curtains for RMV Gurusaidutt, who lost to Bin Qiao of China 17-21 11-21 in another men's singles match. Though the Indian had shown some restraint in the first set against his Chinese rival, he was not match in the second set by going down rather tamely.
As far as the mixed doubles events are considered, Indian pair of Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan reached the main draw as Germany proved to be lucky for them. The duo defeated local pair Hannes Kaesbauer and Kira Kattenbeck 21-15 21-10 in the first round and then prevailed over Irish brother and sister combo of Sam Magee and Chloe Magee 21-19 21-12 in a 27-minute match.
On an overall, it was a moment of pride after managing with such a superb performance in the German Open as of yet.
