Orleans Masters: Ashwini-Sikki reach quarters after receiving bye

Ashwini and Sikki had reached the second round on Wednesday after a 21-9, 17-21, 21-19 win over Denmark's Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn.

Orleans: Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy reached the women’s doubles quarter-finals of the Orleans Masters Super 100 tournament after receiving a bye in their second round match against Indonesia’s Fabriana Kusuma and Amalia Pratiwi.

Ashwini and Sikki had reached the second round on Wednesday after a 21-9, 17-21, 21-19 win over Denmark’s Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn.

The Badminton World Federation had earlier said on Tuesday Indonesian women’s doubles pair had been withdrawn after one player tested positive for Covid-19. “The player has been asked to self-isolate in her hotel room. Her doubles partner has been identified as a close contact and asked to quarantine in a separate hotel room,” said the BWF.

While the BWF had not named the doubles pair, Kusuma and Pratiwi are the only Indonesians to have not been able to play their second round match with Yulfira Barkah and Febi Dwijayanti Gani set to face Netherlands’ sixth seeded pair Selena Piek and Cheryl Seinen in the second round on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal reached the men’s singles third round and women’s singles second round respectively with comfortable wins on Wednesday.

Top seed Srikanth beat compatriot Ajay Jayaram 21-15, 21-10 while fourth seed Saina thrashed Ireland’s Rachael Darragh 21-9, 21-5 in a match that lasted just 21 minutes. Srikanth faces Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei while Saina plays France’s Marie Batomene on Thursday.