PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen move to quarter-finals of US Open badminton

Iowa [US]: India’s star shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen moved to the quarter-finals of the US Open 2023 BWF Super 300 tournament here on Thursday.

Sindhu defeated Sung Shuo Yun of the Chinese Taipei with ease in two straight sets, 21-14, 21-12, in the round of 16 of women’s singles. While, Lakshya beat the Czech Republic’s Jan Louda 21-8, 23-21 in his men’s singles second-round match, as per Olympics.com.
World No 12, Sindhu started slow but found her rhythm as the match progressed. The Indian badminton player quickly took the lead of 13-5 and sent Sung Shuo Yun on the back foot.

The Chinese Taipei shuttler had no answers to the brilliant play of Sindhu who wrapped up the first game and took the lead.

In the second game, PV Sindhu and Sung Shuo Yun went toe-to-toe early on with both shuttlers looking to seize control of the encounter. As the match progressed, Sung Shuo Yun was unable to match PV Sindhu’s intensity as the Indian pulled away for a healthy lead. PV Sindhu won five consecutive points to seal the match in 37 minutes.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will go up against Gao Fang Jie of the People’s Republic of China next in the last eight. The Indian holds a 1-3 head-to-head record against the Chinese shuttler.
Earlier in the day, Lakshya Sen, seeded third in the tournament, found his momentum early on and comfortably pocketed the first game.

The second game proved a far bigger challenge as Lakshya Sen trailed Jan Louda 19-14. The Indian badminton player rallied back to level the scores at 19-all. In what was a thrilling finish to the match, Lakshya Sen held his nerve and eventually clinched the 39-minute encounter.

In the quarter-finals, Commonwealth Games 2022 champion Lakshya Sen will face compatriot S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, who defeated Israel’s Misha Zilberman 21-18, 21-23, 21-13..