Singapore Open: Indian trio extend impressive run

Singapore: The Indian trio of P. V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth continued their impressive run and progressed to the singles quarterfinals of the $355,000 Singapore Open here Thursday.

The fourth-seeded Sindhu, a Rio Games silver medallist, took 39 minutes to get the better of world number 22 Mia Blichfeldt 21-13, 21-19, her second straight win over the Danish shuttler, who had clinched the Spain Masters earlier this year.

World number 6 Sindhu will next face China’s Cai Yanyan, a 2017 BWF World Junior Championships bronze medallist.

Sixth seed Srikanth survived a scare in the second game before overcoming Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 21-12, 23-21, setting up a meeting with top seed Japan’s Kento Mamota, who ended H. S. Prannoy’s campaign with a straight game victory.

Sixth seed Saina had to work hard in her bid to avenge a Malaysia Open first-round loss to Pornpawee Chochuwong before pulling off a thrilling 21-16, 18-21, 21-19 win over the Thai shuttler in the second round.

The London Olympic bronze medallist will next square off against second seeded Japanese Nozomi Okuhara.

While Saina was plotting the downfall of Chochuwong, her husband and fellow shuttler Parupalli Kashyap, was locked in a fierce battle with reigning Olympic champion, Chen Long of China.

Kashyap, a 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, stretched Chen to three games before losing 9-21 21-15 16-21 to the fourth seeded Chinese, who had reached the finals at Malaysia Open last year.

It was curtains for Prannoy too, after a 11-21, 11-21 defeat at the hands of the world No. 1 Japanese.

Sameer Verma continued his impressive run, beating China’s Lu Guangzu 21-15, 21-18, to set up a clash with second seeded Taipei player Chou Tien Chen.

Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy also entered the quarterfinals after stunning world No. 11 Hong Kong pair of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 21-17, 6-21, 21-19 in a 50-minute clash.