Rio Olympics 2016 Badminton: Saina Nehwal gets off to winning start

Rio de Janeiro: Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, one of the country`s strongest medal hope, kicked off her campaign at the Rio Olympics on a winning note as she brushed aside Brazil`s Lohaynny Vicente in straight games in the opening match of the women`s singles event here on Wednesday.

Saina, the bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over her Brazilian compatriot in the one-sided contest that lasted for 39 minutes at Riocentro- Pavilion.

The 26-year-old, who hails from Hyderabad, will play her next Group G match against Ukraine` Ulitina Maria.

Earlier today, P. V Sindhu, the other shuttler in fray, also made a great start to her badminton campaign by thrashing Hungary`s Laura Sarosi 21-8, 21-9 in her opening round.

Meanwhile, the Indian women`s double pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had lost 15-21, 10-21 to top-ranked Japanese pair of Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsumoto in a match which lasted 36 minutes in their Group A opener.

In the men`s doubles competition, Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy also suffered a 18-21, 13-21 defeat at the hands of World No.2 Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in their first match.