Anwesha Gowda Advances to Women’s Singles 2nd Round at Australian Open

New Delhi: Young Indian shuttler Anwesha Gowda advanced to the women’s singles second round at the Australian Open in Sydney yesterday.

Gowda ranked 8th among junior players worldwide, defeated Australia’s Pitchaya Elysia Viravong, 21-9, 21-11 in the opening round.

In the second round, she will take on the reigning champion of the Youth Olympic Games, Goh Jin Wei of Malaysia.

In the current season, Gowda has won four junior BWF championships and made it to the final of two tournaments. Gowda is the solitary Indian to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open Super 300 in Sydney.

In another women’s singles, Tanya Hemanth lost to Malaysia’s Jin Wei Goh in her first-round while in the women’s doubles, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda crashed out, losing to  Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia Hsin and Teng Chun Hsun.

Meanwhile, Indian men’s badminton player Sameer Verma, and women’s doubles pair Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker pulled out of the tournament before playing their opening matches. Commonwealth Games champions PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen had withdrawn from the event earlier due to fitness.