India’s leading stars PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with mixed doubles duo Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open on Thursday.
Sindhu outplayed Japan’s Riko Gunji in straight games, while Satwik-Chirag defeated Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan 21-15, 11-21, 21-18. Dhruv and Tanisha overcame a Japanese challenge to beat Yuta Watanabe and Maya Taguchi 8-21, 21-17, 21-16, according to a release.
The experienced Sindhu registered a comfortable straight-games victory in just 37 minutes, maintaining control in both games from the beginning. Displaying sharp movement on court and accurate shot placement, the two-time Olympic medallist rarely allowed her opponent to settle into rhythm. Sindhu mixed aggressive smashes with delicate net play to dominate the rallies and seal the contest with ease. She will next face top seed An Se-young in the quarterfinals in what promises to be a high-intensity clash.
Lakshya Sen progressed in men’s singles after Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn retired with just two points played in the match due to injury concerns. While the abrupt end denied Lakshya valuable match time, the Indian shuttler looked composed and focused ahead of the tougher challenges in the later rounds. Lakshya will next take on Japan’s Koki Watanabe for a place in the semifinals.
In men’s doubles, fourth-seeded Satwik and Chirag started strongly by taking the opening game but were pushed into a decider after the Chinese Taipei pair dominated the second. The Indian duo regained composure in the final game with powerful attacking play and solid coordination at the net. The Indians came back to close out the match 21-18 in the decider, extending their head-to-head record against the duo to 7-0. They will next face Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai, to whom they lost their All England Open campaign earlier this year.
