Manila: PV Sindhu of India advanced to the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Championships after defeating Singapore’s lowly-ranked Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi in straight games on Thursday. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of the men’s doubles team also advanced to the quarterfinals, but London Olympics bronze medalist Saina Nehwal was eliminated.
Sindhu had upset Jaslyn Hooi, 21-16 21-16 in 42 minutes to set up a match with third seed Chinese He Bing Jiao, whom she beat for a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
Satwik and Chirag, the third-seeded Indian pair, too put in a strong showing, defeating Japan’s Akira Koga and Taichi Saito 21-17 21-15 to advance to the last eight. The world number seven Indian duo will face either Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who are seeded fifth, or Singapore’s Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Jun Liang Andy Kwek, who are seeded fifth.
Meanwhile, Saina’s hopes of winning a fourth medal at the renowned competition were dashed when she ran out of steam and lost 21-12 7-21 13-21 against Chinese Wang Zhi Yi, who is ranked 16th in the world.
