PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen Power into Indonesia Masters Quarterfinals with Straight-Game Triumphs
Sindhu and Lakshya Sen reach the Indonesia Masters quarters with straight-set victories.
Top Indian shuttlers P. V. Sindhu and Lakshya Sen progressed to the quarterfinals of the USD 500,000 Indonesia Masters after registering convincing straight-game victories in their respective round-of-16 matches on Thursday, underlining India’s strong showing at the Super 500 tournament.
Lakshya Sen delivered a dominant performance in men’s singles, defeating Hong Kong China’s Jason Gunawan 21-10, 21-11 in a match that lasted just over 30 minutes. The 24-year-old from Almora, a world championships bronze medallist in 2021, controlled the rallies throughout and barely allowed his opponent any openings. Sen, who won the Australian Open last year, will next face Thailand’s rising star Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, who caused a major upset by knocking out Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.
In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu overcame a familiar challenge from Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaerfeldt, winning 21-19, 21-18 in a closely contested 43-minute encounter. It marked Sindhu’s fifth victory over the Dane in their six meetings so far, reflecting her consistency against the European opponent.
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Sindhu now faces a tough quarterfinal test against tournament top seed and world number four Chen Yu Fei of China. The head-to-head between the two stands narrowly in Fei’s favour at 7-6, with Sindhu’s last victory over the Chinese star coming in 2019, adding extra intrigue to the upcoming clash.
Elsewhere, India endured mixed results. Former world number one Kidambi Srikanth exited the men’s singles after a one-sided 11-21, 10-21 loss to Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen. In women’s singles, Anmol Kharb showed resilience but eventually lost to former world champion Nozomi Okuhara in three games.
In men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun fought hard before bowing out 17-21, 21-9, 16-21 to third-seeded Malaysians Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee, bringing India’s challenging day to a close despite standout wins from Sindhu and Sen.
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