PV Sindhu outclasses Han Yue, storms into Japan Open QFs

PV Sindhu delivered a commanding performance at the Japan Open Super 750, defeating world No. 5 Han Yue of China in straight games (21-16, 21-14) to enter the quarterfinals. The two-time Olympic medallist will now face Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.

Tokyo: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu produced one of her best performances of the season to outclass world No. 5 Han Yue of China in straight games and storm into the quarterfinals of the Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Thursday.

The world No. 10 Indian needed just 35 minutes to register a commanding 21-16, 21-14 win over the higher-ranked Chinese shuttler in their second-round contest.

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After a sluggish start, the unseeded Sindhu found her rhythm midway through the opening game, striking the shuttle cleanly and dictating the rallies to take the lead.

The former world champion then completely dominated the second game, racing to an 8-0 advantage before comfortably sealing the contest.

With the victory, Sindhu improved her head-to-head record against Han to 8-1.

The 31-year-old will next face familiar rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, who received a walkover after top seed An Se-young of South Korea withdrew from their second-round match.

Sindhu is now India’s lone survivor in the tournament after the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila bowed out in the pre-quarterfinals.

The Indian duo fought hard before losing 20-22, 17-21 to top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China in their round-of-16 clash in 47 minutes.