Star Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen advanced to the quarterfinals with a victory in straight games, while PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, was eliminated in the second round of the China Masters Super 750 tournament on Thursday.
Lakshya, who narrowly missed winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, displayed his top form in defeating Rasmus Gemke of Denmark 21-6 21-18 in a 46-minute men’s singles second round match.
Lakshya will compete against either Takuma Obayashi from Japan or Denmark’s third seed Anders Antonsen, the winner of their match.
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However, it ended up being another unsatisfactory performance for Sindhu as she was defeated by Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min in a fiercely competitive women’s singles match. Sindhu, ranked 19th globally, beat Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the first round before losing to Min in a closely contested match lasting one hour and nine minutes.
The remaining two Indian women’s singles players, Anupama Upadhyaya and Malvika Bansod, were eliminated in the second round, putting an end to their run in the tournament. Anupama was beaten 7-21 14-21 by Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira, while Malvika suffered a crushing defeat of 9-21 9-21 against Thailand’s eight-seeded Supanida Katethong.
Lakshya began the first game aggressively and was slightly ahead of Gemke.
He utilized his outstanding skills at the net and smart movement on the court to create scoring opportunities. Lakshya appeared to be in control and had the advantage over his opponent, allowing him to comfortably win the first game.
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In contrast, the second game saw a tighter competition as both players battled fiercely until the first 10 points. Lakshya then edged ahead by one point at the halfway mark when Gemke made an error. Lakshya’s game was defined by his exceptional net pickups and he utilized powerful court smashes to gain a 14-12 lead.
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