BWF World Championships: Praneeth losses, Ashwini-Sikki, Tanisha-Ishaan win on day 1

B Sai Praneeth failed to cross the opening hurdle after losing in three games but India registered twin wins in women's and mixed doubles competition on the opening day of the BWF World Championships here on Monday.

Praneeth, a 2019 bronze medallist, put up a brave effort before going down 15-21 21-15 15-21 to world number 4 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in little over an hour.

It was yet another forgettable outing in Tokyo for Praneeth, following his struggles at last year's Olympic Games where he participated without a proper coach or physio to eventually bow out early. Praneeth, a 2019 bronze medallist, put up a brave effort before going down 15-21 21-15 15-21 to world number 4 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in little over an hour.

However, former Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy progressed to the women's doubles second round with a 21-7 21-9 win over Maldives' Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq. Ashwini and Sikki will face the uphill task of taming top seeds Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan of China in the second round.