Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu entered the quarterfinals with a come-from-behind victory over Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan in the Malaysia Open badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. (More Badminton News)
The world No. 7 dispatched her Thai opponent 19-21, 21-9, 21-14 in a 57-minute second-round clash at the Axiata Arena. The seventh-seeded Indian will next face her nemesis Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the last eight face-off.
HS Prannoy, the world No. 21, also advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's singles with an easy 21-15 21-7 victory over fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. One of the heroes of India's epic Thomas Cup triumph, the unseeded Prannoy will lock horns with seventh seed Indonesian Jonatan Christie.
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Later in the day, the seventh-seeded men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and former Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap will also be in action.
Parupalli Kashyap, however, failed to make the last-eight round, going down to Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn 19-21, 10-21.
Kashyap produced a superb fight and led the majority of the opening game before going down in an intense battle, while the second game was a breeze for the Thai world No.18 who won 10 points in a row to seal the issue in 44 minutes.
Meanwhile, the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty gave a walkover to the local pair of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin.
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"Satwik pulled a muscle in his core. He was better today but not enough to play and with Commonwealth Games around, the coaches and physios advised him to not play. Hence, Satwik-Chirah pulled out," said an official.
