PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy advance to the quarterfinals in badminton.
On Thursday, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy both won differently to advance to the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open.Prannoy destroyed World No. 4 Chou Tien Chen in 35 minutes while Sindhu defeated Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan 19-21, 21-9, 21-14 after falling down in the first game. The pair, who are guiding India in the World Tour Super 750 competition, will face challenging opponents in their respective last-8 matches on Friday. Prannoy is slated to play Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, and Sindhu will compete against her archrival Tai Tzu Ying.
About
Prannoy destroyed World No. 4 Chou Tien Chen in 35 minutes while Sindhu defeated Thailand's Phittayaporn Chaiwan 19-21, 21-9, 21-14 after falling down in the first game. HS Prannoy has had a fantastic year thus far, but PV Sindhu will attempt a return following a disappointing performance at the Indonesia Open. Saina Nehwal, on the other hand, will return following a hiatus. When the Malaysia Open Super 750 competition gets off on Tuesday, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy will be leading the Indian charge. PV Sindhu will want to immediately bounce back from her first-round elimination at Indonesia, while HS Prannoy will aim for another steady performance.
Match overview
At the Indonesia Open Super 1000 earlier this month, China's He Bing Jiao knocked off two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu in the first round. She will have to get over that setback as she starts her campaign against a strong Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand. While Sindhu leads the all-time series 5-3, Chochuwong has defeated the Indian three times in their past five meetings, making their next match-up an exciting one.
About the players
Sindhu may compete against Chinese Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei if she can get through the first obstacle and maintain a steady pace. Saina Nehwal, who won bronze in the London Olympics, is a star in the same half of the draw and will face Iris Wang of the USA in the opening match. If she triumphs, she would compete against former world champion and sixth-seeded Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
The former world champion Sindhu, who on Wednesday upset another Thai player, world no. 10 Pornpawee Chochuwong, got off to a poor start against Chaiwan, who successfully exploited her deceptions to catch Sindhu off guard. However, she soon adjusted and adopted a more aggressive stance to prevent her 21-year-old opponent, who held the top spot in the global junior rankings and was also a member of the team that won the bronze medal at the Uber Cup in Bangkok, from pulling off an upset. The only remaining Indians in the singles draw of the competition are Sindhu, Prannoy, and Parupalli Kashyap; Kashyap will play Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand later on Thursday.
