Third seed P.V.Sindhu and Saina Nehwal gave India plenty to cheer when the duo marched into the quarter-finals in the women’s singles after winning their respective Chinese opponents in the second round in the Wuhan City of Automobile Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan on Thursday.
 
Newly crowned Commonwealth Games champion Nehwal ripped through a 21-18, 21-8 win over Gao Fangjie in 40 minutes to earn a quarter-final clash against Korea’s Lee Jang-mi – 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 winner over fourth seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
 
Sindhu, the Rio Olympics silver medallist and lost to Nehwal in the Commonwealth Games final, made short work of Chen Xiaoxin with a 21-12, 21-15 win in 44 minutes.
 
The 22-year-old Sindhu will face Korea’s Sung Ji-hyun for a place in the semi-finals. Ji-hyun beat Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 21-14, 21-12.
 
India also had a good run in the men’s singles second round with H.S. Prannoy joining K. Srikanth in the quarter-finals.
 
Prannoy came from a game down to oust giant killer Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei 16-21, 21-14, 21-12 in a 56 minute encounter. Tzu Wei defeated China’s Lin Dan in the first round.
 
Defending champion Chen Long stayed on course with a 21-12, 21-12 win over India’s B. Sai Praneeth and will face Angus Ng Ka Long next.
 
 
 
SELECTED RESULTS (Second Round)
 
 
Women’s singles
 
Sung Ji-hyun (Kor) beat Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) 21-14, 21-12
 
Chen Yufei (Chn) beat Nitchaon Jindapol (Tha) 21-19, 21-14
 
Sainah Nehwal (Ind) beat Gao Fangjie  (Chn) 21-18, 21-8
 
P.V. Sindhu (Ind) beat Chen Xiaoxin (Chn) 21-12, 21-15
 
 
Men’s singles
 
Chen Long (Chn) beat B. Sai Praneeth (Ind) 21-12, 21-12
 
H. S. Prannoy (Ind) beat Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) 16-21, 21-1, 21-12
 
Son Wan-ho (Kor) beat Kanta Tsuneyama (Jpn) 21-12, 21-18. 
 
 
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