Singapore. May 28 (IANS) India enjoyed an impressive outing at the Singapore Open on Thursday as PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty progressed to the quarter-finals, while mixed doubles duo Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila produced one of the standout comebacks of the day.

Sindhu continued her encouraging run in the tournament with another dominant straight-games victory, brushing aside Japan’s Riko Gunji 21-9, 21-12 in just 37 minutes.

The two-time Olympic medallist looked in complete control from the opening exchanges, dictating rallies comfortably and rarely allowing her opponent to settle into the contest. Having already eliminated Indonesian fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani in the opening round, Sindhu has now carried that momentum into the last eight without dropping intensity.

Her next challenge, however, could be the toughest yet. Sindhu will face reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 An Se-young, a player she has never beaten in eight previous meetings.

In men’s doubles, fourth-seeded Satwik and Chirag were tested heavily before overcoming the Chinese Taipei pair of Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan in a three-game battle.

The Indians appeared firmly in command after taking the opening game 21-15, but lost rhythm completely in the second as their opponents forced a decider with an 11-21 response. The deciding game remained tense deep into the contest before the Indian duo regained composure to close out a hard-earned 21-18 win. They will now meet Malaysia’s Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing for a place in the semi-finals.

The day’s biggest turnaround came in mixed doubles, where Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila recovered brilliantly after being completely outplayed in the opening game against Japan’s Maya Taguchi and Yuta Watanabe. After losing the first game 8-21, the Indian pair gradually shifted momentum through aggressive net play and improved defence, eventually storming back to win 21-17, 21-16. The result marked a timely boost for the duo, who had struggled for consistency in recent tournaments.

In the quarter-final the Indian duo will be up against the Malaysian world No. 4 pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei.

Lakshya’s path to the quarter-finals came under unusual circumstances after Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn retired just moments into their round-of-16 clash. The Paris 2024 silver medallist pulled out after only two points had been played, sending the Indian through with barely a minute spent on court. He will next face Japan’s Koki Watanabe in the quarter-finals.

Later in the day, HS Prannoy takes on former world champion and local hero Loh Kean Yew for a place in the last eight.

–IANS

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