Syed Modi International 2022 | PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy sail into quarter-finals; face stiff test ahead

01/21/2022

PV Sindhu, the former world championship winner, advanced to the Syed Modi International 2022 women's singles quarterfinals on Thursday at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow. The two-time Olympic medalist won 21-16, 21-13 in 33 minutes over Lauren Lam of the United States.

The contest got off to a good start for both the players. The Hyderabadi, on the other hand, went into the break with a slim 11-10 advantage. Then she got her stride after that and won the opening game in 15 minutes.

In the second game, Sindhu maintained control of the court and raced to an 11-6 lead. The Indian badminton player then won the match in straight games to advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, and will now face Thailand's Supanida Katethong. Last week, Katethong upset PV Sindhu in the India Open semi-finals.

Meanwhile, in the men's singles round of 16 matches, HS Prannoy had to dig deep to beat 19-year-old Indian Priyanshu Rajawat. In one hour and four minutes, the Asian Championships bronze medalist won the three-game thriller 21-11, 16-21, 21-18. And next, he will be going up against Arnaud Merkle from France.

With a straight games victory against fellow countrymen Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka, Aakarshi Kashyap advanced to the quarterfinals. Akarshi Kashyap won the match in 24 minutes, 21-9, 21-6, and will now face Malvika Bansod, a fellow teenager, on Friday.

Meanwhile, fourth-seeded MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila advanced after obtaining a walkover in their round-of-16 encounter.