B Sai Praneeth spoils Taufik Hidayat's swansong; Parupalli Kashyap exits

Upcoming Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth spoilt former world and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat’s final international appearance on Wednesday. In the men’s singles first round in Jakarta, Praneeth defeated local legend Hidayat 15-21 21-12 21-17 and advanced to the second round.

Hidayat had announced that he would retire after the Indonesia Open. It was a disappointment for his home fans to see Hidayat go down to world No. 55 in the first round itself. Praneeth will next face world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.

Three other Indians — Ajay Jayaram, RMV Gurusaidutt and Sourabh Varma — advanced in men’s singles while world No. 10 Parupalli Kashyap crashed out. Saina Nehwal will face Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi in women’s singles second round on Thursday.