/sportzpoint/media/agency_attachments/5J7QNb4CjhIemgV0IYQL.png)
Follow Us/sportzpoint/media/post_banners/6ca1a14fd4bc1e41206741156366e2ad7a3540987e00585095f8922ef1c59c95.jpg)
PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth progressed to the quarterfinals. But former champion Kidambi Srikanth made an early exit in the second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 tournament here on Thursday.
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/6ca1a14fd4bc1e41206741156366e2ad7a3540987e00585095f8922ef1c59c95.jpg "publive-image")
Two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu hardly broke a sweat to win the second round clash 21-12 21-18 against world No. 26 Yvonne Li of Germany in 37 minutes at the USD 850,000 event.
In the women's singles quarterfinals, the reigning world champion, seeded third, will face South Korea's Sim Yujin. Up against Li for the first time, world No. 7 Sindhu looked completely in control from the beginning.
Read also: Tokyo Olympics: Sai Praneeth thinks he can win an Olympic medal
Such was her dominance that the two-time Olympic medallist took the first game with ease, winning seven consecutive points at one stage.
Li made a good recovery in the second game and it was more evenly contested. But Sindhu persisted and did not let the German gain an advantage over her.
Praneeth staved off a spirited fight from France's world No. 70 Christo Popov, claiming a 21-17 14-21 21-19 win in a gruelling match that lasted an hour and 23 minutes. Praneeth made a good start, jumping to 8-2 lead early on but Popov made it 14-12 after he reeled off seven straight points just after the break. The Indian, however, held his nerves to pocket the opening game.
Read also: Olympic 2020 : Day 6 Schedule For India And Key Matches
The second game was a tight affair as Popov fought hard and grabbed a slender 11-10 lead at the interval.
He moved to 15-14 before sending down six points on the trot. In the decider, Praneeth led 11-7 at one stage but again a seven-point burst helped Popov turn the tables on his fancied rival. However, Praneeth ensured he had the last laugh in the end. The world No. 16 Indian will meet Olympic champion, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, next.
The second-seeded Axelsen, a world champion, ended the campaign of Srikanth, beating him 21-14 21-18 in 37 minutes. Axelsen used the court well to make Srikanth move around. He waited for the Indian to make mistakes and produced some great angled returns to trouble him.