India’s campaign at the Japan Open Super 750 suffered a major setback on Wednesday as Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda and Lakshya Sen all crashed out in the opening round.The early exits come at a worrying time, with India set to host the World Championships in New Delhi next month after a 17-year gap.Ayush came closest to pulling off an upset, pushing former world champion and second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand before losing 19-21, 25-23, 15-21 in an 82-minute battle.Unnati Hooda fought back after dropping the first game but lost 21-16, 16-21, 15-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun, her second defeat to the same opponent. Lakshya Sen, meanwhile, struggled against Japan’s Koki Watanabe and went down 16-21, 14-21 in just 38 minutes.Ayush, 21, started brightly and took an early lead before Kunlavut fought back to claim the opening game. The Indian stayed in the contest in the second game and produced a remarkable fightback when the Thai earned four match points. Ayush saved all four, won a tense rally and forced a deciding game.The momentum, however, did not last long as Kunlavut quickly took control in the decider, opening up a healthy lead before wrapping up the match comfortably.With the three first-round exits, India’s hopes now rest on two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto.Sindhu faces China’s fifth seed Han Yue in the second round on Thursday, while Dhruv and Tanisha will take on top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.
