A preventing Kidambi Srikanth could not maintain the strain as he went down in straight video games to Olympic and world champion Viktor Axelsen in his opening males’s singles match on the Yonex-Sunrise India Open Super 750 event in New Delhi on Wednesday. Srikanth, a world championship silver medallist, flattered to deceive as he squandered a 14-5 lead within the second recreation to go down 14-21 19-21 to the world no. 1 Dane, leaving the cheering followers on the IG stadium disenchanted.

World no. 39 Aakarshi Kashyap and world no. 34 Malvika Bansod additionally could not match their fancied rivals — USA’s Beiwen Zhang and Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrung — and bowed out after shedding their respective matches.

While Akarshi misplaced 15-21 12-21 to former champion Zhang, Malvika squandered an 11-8 lead within the opening recreation to ultimately go down 17-21 12-21 to world no. 12 Busanan.

With the group rooting for him, Srikanth, a former world no.1, made an excellent begin as he dominated the rallies, extracting errors from Axelsen. The Indian tried to lunge his opponent ahead, utilizing his strokes to maneuver the tall Dane.

He unleashed some sensational smashes to maneuver to a 7-5 lead however an alert Axelsen caught up at 8-8 after which with an excellent smash took a three-point lead on the break.

At 13-9, Axelsen dedicated a uncommon service error earlier than one other shot went to the web. Srikanth tried to arrange the rallies however typically erred in his ending.

The Dane ultimately sealed the opening recreation after the Indian smashed out twice.

Srikanth made an attacking begin after the change of ends, utilizing his smashes to good use, to steer 5-1.

Two tight smashes on both aspect helped the Indian to keep up his result in 8-3 earlier than he entered the break with a wholesome seven-point benefit when Axelsen went to the web.

The Indian did not let the depth slip after resumption to steer 14-6 and it appeared he’ll be capable to take it to the decider.

But Axelsen bought again his bearing on the nick of time because the Indian all of the sudden dedicated a sequence of unforced errors to permit his rival to deliver the equation right down to 13-15.

Srikanth fluffed the strains, his faucets went to the nets repeatedly because it was quickly 17-16. Another web error helped Axelsen to attract parity at 18-18. Luck additionally appeared to have left the Indian as one other return bounced off the tape and landed out.

Axelsen quickly grabbed two match factors after which produced a exact return on the entrance court docket to lift his arms in celebration.

“I played well overall but couldn’t finish a few points,” stated Srikanth, the frustration of not closing out the match, writ massive on his face.

“Even in the first game, I had few tap-outs and smash-outs. In the second game as well, at 18-19, it touched the net and went out. It was a good match, but I made too many mistakes.” It was his second successive first-round exit following the Malaysia Open Super 1000.

Axelsen, who had retained the title in Kuala Lumpur final week, stated he was fortunate to win the match.

“I can’t believe I managed to win the second game,” the 29-year-old stated after registering his seventh straight victory over his Indian opponent.

“I didn’t feel good at all. Srikanth stepped up and it is really surprising, I won the second game. It is not easy to come from a hot country to a cold Delhi. Overall, physically I haven’t recovered yet.” Axelsen will now face China’s Shi Yu Qi within the second spherical.

In the day’s different matches, second seed Lee Zii Jia and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen had been taken to the gap by their comparatively unknown opponents whereas a visibly drained Kodai Naraoka of Japan fizzled out in three video games in opposition to third seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.

Antonsen, who has been fighting accidents, got here from a recreation right down to beat France’s Toma Junior Popov 18-21 21-19 21-13 earlier than Lee was made to work laborious for a 20-22 21-19 21-12 win over Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito.

In the ladies’s singles, prime seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, second seed An Se-Young of South Korea and fourth seed He Bingjiao of China superior to the second spherical with out shedding a recreation.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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