Defeating China’s Zhang Yi Man in straight games on Thursday, Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu strolled into the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters.
The two-time Olympic medalist, seeded seventh, defeated world number 32 Yi Man in just 28 minutes in the second round of the women’s singles.
In the quarterfinals, former World Champion and current seventh-ranked Tai Tzu Ying of China will face off against her longtime adversary.
Sindhu’s head-to-head record against the world’s second-ranked player is a dismal 5-16. The two met in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open last week, with the Indian winning.
B Sai Praneeth and Parupalli Kashyap both lost in straight sets to Li She Feng and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, respectively, in the men’s singles competition.
A 21-19, 21-16 victory for HS Prannoy over Tzu Wei Wang ensured that he would also progress to the quarter-finals.
Another early exit for former world number one Saina, who has had a bad run of form recently. Kim Ga Eun of South Korea, a three-time Olympic medalist, defeated Saina 21-16, 17-21, 14-21 in the first game of the women’s singles final.
As of this writing, he hasn’t made it past the second round of any tournament this year, including last week’s Malaysian Open Super 750.
The 30th-ranked team in the world Sameer Verma was defeated by world No. 4 Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen lost in straight sets, 21-10, 12-21, 14-21, to exit the men’s singles competition early. Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy were beaten 21-19, 18-21, 21-16 by Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi in the women’s doubles final.
BATC apologises to PV Sindhu for “human error”
Referee Chih Shen Chen made a “human error” in the Badminton Asia Championships women’s singles semifinal match in April, according to Badminton Asia Technical Committee head Chih Shen Chen.
Her semifinal match against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi ended in a three-game defeat following an “unfair” umpiring decision, leaving Sindhu with a bronze medal. This was also her second in the continental championships. At this point in time, the situation cannot be remedied.
Also Read: Malaysia Masters Super 500 Badminton: PV Sindhu Started With A Win, Sai Praneeth Also Wins