Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Singapore Open: Sindhu, Saina, Srikanth in quarters; Kashyap, Prannoy out

Last updated on: April 11, 2019 20:54 IST

PV Sindhu had to play catch-up in the 2nd game before sealing the issue

IMAGE: P V Sindhu had to play catch-up in the second game before sealing the issue. Photograph: Twitter

The Indian trio of P V Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth continued their impressive run and progressed to the quarter-finals in the US $355,000 Singapore Open on Thursday.

Fourth-seeded Sindhu, a Rio Olympics silver medallist, took 39 minutes to get the better of world number 22 Mia Blichfeldt 21-13, 21-19 and register her second straight win over the Danish shuttler, who had clinched the Spain Masters earlier this year.

 

World number 6 Sindhu will next face China's Cai Yanyan, a 2017 BWF World Junior Championships bronze medallist.

Sixth seed Srikanth survived a scare in the second game before overcoming Denmark's Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 21-12, 23-21. He will meet top seed Japan's Kento Mamota, who ended H S Prannoy's campaign with a 21-11 21-11 victory.

Sixth seed Saina had to work hard in her bid to avenge a Malaysia Open first-round loss to Pornpawee Chochuwong before pulling off a thrilling 21-16, 18-21, 21-19 win over the Thai shuttler in the second round.

The London Olympic bronze medallist will next square off against second seeded Japanese Nozomi Okuhara.

While Saina was plotting the downfall of Chochuwong, her husband and fellow-shuttler Parupalli Kashyap, was locked in a fierce battle with reigning Olympic champion Chen Long of China.

Kashyap, a 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, stretched Chen to three games before losing 9-21, 21-15, 16-21 to the fourth seeded Chinese, who had reached the finals at Malaysia Open last year.

Sameer Verma continued his impressive run, beating China's Lu Guangzu 21-15, 21-18 to set up a meeting with second seeded Taipei player Chou Tien Chen.

Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy also entered the quarter-finals after stunning world No. 11 Hong Kong pair of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 21-17, 6-21, 21-19.

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.