Tokyo (The Hawk): Nithya Sre, who is playing in her maiden match at the BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2022, which began on Monday in Tokyo, didn't hesitate to say that she was nervous before competing.
In a Group A mixed doubles SH6 match, Sre and Paralympic bronze medalist Krishna Nagar defeated Egypt's Yasmina Eissa and Spain's Ivan Segura Escobar with ease (21-8, 21-9).
In the following Group B women's singles SH6 match, the 17-year-old Sre defeated Hong Kong's Lam Ching Yung in in 15 minutes.
"Coming here made me very happy. For me, it's a proud occasion. I was a little uneasy in the opening few points of the match, but after that everything went smoothly. The coordination of the shuttle and racquet was working beautifully. I also changed the shuttler's control. So, it was a nice start," said the rising star, who won five titles this year to move up to world No. 2.
At the competition, Nithya has already set the objective of winning three gold medals. "I'll try my hardest to make it happen."
DAY OF EASY OPENING
On that same day, another rising talent, Manisha Ramadass, made her World Championships debut. She was optimistic about reaching the finals following a straightforward 21-10, 21-5 victory over Cristina Sandhez De Lechina Tejada of Spain in the women's SU5 match.
Pramod Bhagat, a five-time world champion and the top seed in this tournament, Manoj Sarkar, Suhas Yathiraj, and Nitesh Kumar all had straightforward matches but are expected to play in difficult matches in the coming days.
Manasi Joshi, the defending champion and current world number one, Parul Parmar, and Mandeep Kaur also enjoyed successful opening days in other women's matches.
NAGAR STAGGERS TO LIMIT
However, USA's Miles Krajewski pushed Paralympic champion Nagar to the edge when Nagar rallied from a game down to win his men's singles SH6 Group D match 17-21, 21-16, 21-17.
Later, Nagar acknowledged that his opponent had made significant recent improvements to his game. Miles' game has changed; he now appears more powerful and uses a variety of strokes. It's encouraging to see that competition is escalating. After an absence of eight months, Nagar returned to competition and stated, "I believe I must work harder now.
The BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2022 will feature 22 events this week in which 298 athletes will compete for medals. On Wednesday, the group matches will resume. On Sunday, the finals will be held (Nov. 6).
(Inputs from Agencies)
