New Delhi: Despite the shocking exits of Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Jan Jorgensen at India Open, both Indian women’s singles shuttlers No. 2 seed Saina Nehwal and P.V Sindhu clinched their spots in the quarter-finals of the $300,000 Yonex Sunrise India Open Superseries on Thursday.
Saina Nehwal notched her fifth victory over Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand to set up a quarter-final tie against number five seed Sung Ji Hyun of Korea, who beat Taiwan’s Pai Yu Po 21-16, 21-11.
The unseeded P.V Sindhu hitting back from a set down to win the second set and to force a decider before eventually came out on top beating Busanan Ongbumrungphan 17-21, 21-19, 21-16 in a marathon battle that lasted 76 minutes.
Sindhu will square off against the World No. 15 Bae Yeon Ju of Korea in the last-eight stage on Friday.
In addition to men’s singles, the upsets continued when Indonesian pair Gideon Markus Fernaldi/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo defeated top seeds and defending champions Chai Biao and Hong Wei of China 22-20, 19-21, 21-18 in a grueling three-set thriller that lasted 51 minutes. Fernaldi/Sukamuljo will play Chinese Taipei’s Chen Hung Ling and Wang Chi-Lin on Friday. Chen/Wang edged past India’s Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri 21-19, 21-12 in the second round.
The women’s doubles combine of Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao of Japan overcame sixth seeds Jung Kyung Eun and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea 21-16, 23-21, while another Japanese women’s pair Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi fought off Bulgaria’s Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva to triumph 21-12, 21-19.
Fukuman/Yonao will meet India’s Mohita Sahdev/Sanjana Santosh while Matsutomo/Takahashi will clash with number eight seeds Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek of Netherlands next.
