Sindhu survives scare before entering QFs, Sen also in last-8
Lucknow: Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu survived a scare before beating unheralded compatriot Ira Sharma in three games to enter the women’s singles quarter-finals at the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament here on Thursday.
Sharma, ranked 147th in the world as against 18th of Sindhu, stretched the second-round match to the decider after winning the second game.
Top seed Sindhu, a two-time Olympic silver medallist, recovered in time to pocket the deciding game and win the match 21-10 12-21 21-15 in 49 minutes.
The 29-year-old Sindhu has been struggling for some time and she last clinched a title at the Singapore Open in 2022.
She faces China’s Dai Wang, ranked 118th in the world, in the quarterfinals. Wang beat Devika Sihag of India 19-21 21-18 21-11 in another second-round match.
Unlike Sindhu, top seed Lakshya Sen easily won his second-round men’s singles match against Daniil Dubovenko of Israel 21-14 21-13 in just 35 minutes to also book a quarterfinal berth.
Sen meets compatriot Meiraba Luwang in the quarterfinals. Meiraba was a 21-15 21-13 victor against sixth seed Nhat Nguyen of Ireland.
In other men’s singles matches, Ayush Shetty beat Hoh Justin of Malaysia 21-12 21-19 to enter
the quarterfinals while third seed Kiran George suffered a 21-19 20-22 11-21 defeat to Shogo Ogawa of Japan. Second seed Priyanshu Rajawat of India also made it to the men’s singles quarterfinals after beating Le Duc Phat of Vietnam 21-15 21-8.
