Sindhu, Srikanth in quarterfinals

Fuzhou, November 8

Former champions PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth recorded contrasting victories to advance to the quarterfinals of the China Open.

While Sindhu stamped her authority with a 21-12 21-15 win over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the second round, Srikanth got the better of Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto in a three-game match.

Third seeded Sindhu, who had clinched the title in 2016, will face eighth seed He Bingjiao next. Sindhu has lost both her meetings against the world No. 7 Chinese.

Srikanth, who had skipped the event due to a muscle strain last season, managed to script a come-from-behind 10-21 21-9 21-9 win over Tommy Sugiarto in a 45-minute match.

The 25-year-old had won the China Open in 2014, getting the better of the legendary Lin Dan of China. He will next face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, silver medallist at the Asian Games earlier this year.

World No. 9 Srikanth has lost to Chen twice in the last three years. His only win had come at the 2014 Hong Kong Open. On Thursday, Sugiarto, son of former world champion Icuk Sugiarto, began in dominating fashion to take the opening game. The 30-year-old Indonesian grabbed an 11-6 lead at the break and comfortably moved ahead even as the Indian struggled.

Srikanth changed his tactics and looked a different player in the second game as he came out with all cylinders blazing. He moved to 11-6 and then gave away just three more points while grabbing the remaining 10 points to roar back into the contest. Srikanth dominated the decider as well, jumping from 7-3 to 13-3 before shutting the door on his rival with a similar 21-9 margin. — PTI