Dubai: The Indian contingent enjoyed mixed luck on the opening day of the BWF Dubai World Superseries Finals, which got under way at the Hamdan Sports Complex yesterday.

World Championship and Rio 2016 silver medallist P.V. Sindhu gave India a perfect start with a hard-fought 21-11, 16-21, 21-18 over China’s He Binjiao, while Kidamdi Srikanth was blown away by world champion and defending Dubai champion Viktor Axelsen 21-13, 21-17 later in the evening.

“This could have gone either way,” Sindhu told the media later. “I was not too surprised to see her come back so strongly in the second game like she has always done before. In the first game, perhaps things were easier for me as she was making too many mistakes. But then in the second game, I had to dig in deep and see how I could outplay her at every point,” the Indian added.

Going in tied 3-3 in their head-to-head meetings, it was Sindhu who showed early signs of consistency to build up a 10-6 lead in the first game and finish off at 21-11 with a forehand smash that literally forced her 20-year-old opponent to her knees.

The Chinese girl came roaring back in the second game with an early 3-0 and then 4-1 lead. Sindhu managed to draw level at 7-7, only to see the Chinese run away again and lead 10-7. The Indian took the lead for the first time at 12-11, but the seventh-ranked He, who ended runner-up at the Daihatsu Yonex Open in Japan went on to win the game 21-16 and force the deciding third.

Earlier in the morning session, three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia got off to a winning start with an easy 21-14, 21-13 win against Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, while China got off on the right foot with third-ranked Shi Yuqui powering his way past Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 21-17.

In the women’s singles, Akane Yamaguchi justified her top rank with a 21-12, 21-19 win over Japan’s Sayaka Sato and petite Indonesian Ratchanok Intanon upset last year’s runner-up in Dubai and third-ranked Sung Ji-hyun of Korea 21-19, 21-16.

In mixed doubles, reigning world champions Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir desperately want to add the Dubai crown to their collection after brushing aside Chris and Gabrielle Adcock.

Ahmad and Natsir are reigning world champions after their triumph over China’s Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping in Glasgow earlier this year. “We didn’t take this tournament seriously thinking all the time that it was an invitation event. But this time we thought it is our best chance as we have done well so far this season,” Nasir told Gulf News.