Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu produced one of her best performances of the season to defeat world No. 5 Han Yue of China in straight games and advance to the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday.
The 2019 world champion took just 35 minutes to register a 21-16, 21-14 victory over the fifth-seeded Chinese shuttler in the second round. The win also improved Sindhu’s head-to-head record against Han Yue to 8-1.
Okuhara awaits in the quarterfinals
Sindhu will next face Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara for a place in the semifinals. Okuhara progressed after receiving a walkover when top seed and world No. 1 An Se-young withdrew before their second-round clash.
The victory makes Sindhu India’s only remaining contender at the tournament after the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited in the pre-quarterfinals.
Kapila and Crasto put up a spirited fight against top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China before going down 20-22, 17-21 in a closely contested match that lasted 47 minutes.
With several of India’s leading shuttlers having exited in the opening rounds, Sindhu now carries the country’s hopes at the Super 750 event as she looks to reach her first World Tour semifinal of the season.
Results (Round of 16):
Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu (India) bt Han Yue (China) 21-16, 21-14.
Mixed Doubles: Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (China) bt Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto (India) 22-20, 21-17.
