Lakshya, who had finished runners-up at Dutch Open last Sunday, dished out a superb performance to outclass national champion Sourabh 21-9 21-7 in 26 minutes.

The 20-year-old from Almora, who had failed to make the cut for the Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup Final after losing his only match in the trials, is likely to clash with second seed and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark next.

London Games bronze medallist Saina, who had retired midway through her first match at Uber Cup Final due to a groin injury, couldn’t match Japan’s world no 20 Aya Ohori and lost 21-16 21-14 in the opening round.

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