Shuttler Anup Sridhar's Olympic [Images] campaign did not proceed beyond the first round as Shoji Sato of Japan [Images] sent the Indian packing in straight sets at the Beijing [Images] University of Technology (BJUT) Gymnasium on Monday evening.
Fleet-footed Sato took just 37 minutes to tame Sridhar 21-13, 21-17 in a lop-sided match where Sridhar looked out of sorts for major part of it.
Sato got off to a good start, racing to 6-0 and he wrapped up the game in similar fashion, winning five points on the trot.
Sridhar put up a slightly better show in the second game, even managing to lead 9-6 at one stage. Sato, however, was quick to assert himself as he once again bagged five points in a row to go 13-10 up.
Subsequently, whenever Sridhar tried to catch up with him, Sato widened the gap. With the Japanese just one point away from a straight set win, Sridhar made a last ditch attempt and scored four consecutive points but it was too little and too late as Sato ambled to a facile win.
Complete coverage: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
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