COVID-19 continued to play havoc with the $150,000 Syed Modi India International badminton tournament after three more players — Ashmita Chaliha, Rahul Yadav and doubles specialist Shruti Mishra — tested positive on the first day of the competition here on Tuesday.
After a spate of withdrawals left just three seeded players in the men’s singles draw, the exit of Verma brothers — Sameer and Saurabh — meant H. S. Prannoy was the only surviving seed midway through the first round.
Prannoy, seeded five, defeated Ukraine’s Danylo Bosniuk 21-14, 21-18 in 36 minutes but the Verma brothers were not so lucky.
Sameer, seeded four, was trailing 2-7 to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen when he complained of sheen pain and retired. His elder brother Saurabh, seeded seven, surrendered to Azerbaijan’s Ade Resky Dwicahyo.
Saurabh was leading by a game and 15-11 in the second before Dwicahyo started a stunning comeback and completed a 15-21, 21-19, 21-18 victory.
In women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap defeated Mugdha Agrey 21-13, 21-14.
An official revealed that owing to large-scale last-minute withdrawals, quite a few wait-listed players made the draw but could not reach the city in time. As a result, a few first-round matches, across sections, were rescheduled to accommodate these players.
