China Masters: PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty sail into quarterfinals

P V Sindhu and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarterfinals of the China Masters with commanding straight-game victories on Thursday.

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, dismissed sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-15, 21-15 in 41 minutes to improve her head-to-head record against the Thai shuttler to 6-5. The world No.14 will next face Korea’s top seed An Se Young, who overcame Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark 23-21, 21-14.

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Reflecting on the win, Sindhu said she was determined to stay sharp from the start. “I am happy with the win and it was very important for me from the beginning to be alert and give my 100 per cent. She (Chochuwong) is a top player. I played her in the Indonesia Open; that time also it was a hard match. After winning the first game, I was much more alert in the second game,” she said, as quoted by PTI.

Sindhu, who had suffered a first-round exit at the Hong Kong Open last week, spoke on the importance of closing out matches quickly. “Straight wins always give you that confidence. But you also have to be prepared for long matches and make sure that you are quicker on your feet,” she added.

“It’s (drift) always there, every tournament there is wind but it is important that you have control. But sometimes it’s very hard to control,” the 30-year-old said after the win.

In men’s doubles, eighth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty continued their return to form with a clinical 21-13, 21-12 win over Chinese Taipei’s Hsiang Chieh Chiu and Wang Chi-Lin in just 32 minutes. The Indian duo, runners-up at the Hong Kong Open, will face China’s Ren Xiang Yu and Xie Haonan in the quarterfinals.

The former world No.1 pair had earlier beaten Chiu and Wang in three games at the Hong Kong Open. This time, they were in complete control, racing to a 7-2 lead in the first game and maintaining their dominance until the finish.

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