Lucknow, Jan 18 (IANS): Ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy advanced to the second round of the men's singles event in the Syed Modi International 2022 badminton tournament at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Prannoy, the world No 24, outclassed Danylo Bosniuk of Ukraine 21-14, 21-18 in a 36-minute clash. The Asian Championships bronze medallist will now face 19-year-old Priyanshu Rajawat in the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, siblings Sameer Verma and Sourabh Verma, couldn't get past the first round.

Seeded fourth, Sameer retired after just four minutes into his match against I'eland's Nhat Nguyen while older brother Sourabh, seeded seventh, lost to Azer'aijan's Ade Resky Dwicahyo 21-15, 19-21, 18-21 in a close 67-minute contest.

In women's singles, Aakarshi Kashyap also advanced to the next round after beating compatriot Mugdha Agrey 21-13, 21-14 in 39 minutes. Aakarshi, who made the India Open semis, is slated to face fellow youngster Malvika Bansod in the quarters.

Former world champion PV Sindhu will begin her campaign on Wednesday. She will take on 18-year-old shuttler Tanya Hemanth.

Notably, many top Indian players have withdrawn from the Syed Modi International 2022 after Covid-19 severely affected India Open 2022 which concluded in New Delhi on January 16.

While world championships silver-medallist Kidambi Srikanth and Olympian Ashwini Ponnappa are still recovering from the virus, Lakshya Sen and the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew late after winning men's singles and doubles titles at India Open, respectively.