BY SANDHYA DISSANAYAKE, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
Image Courtesy: NDtv
Sydney – Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and rising teenage star Tanvi Sharma advanced to the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Australian Open Super 500 Badminton Tournament after recording impressive straight-game victories on Thursday.
Third-seeded Sindhu overcame fellow Indian Isharani Baruah in a closely contested Round of 16 encounter, winning 22-20, 21-12 in just 42 minutes to book her place in the last eight.
The experienced campaigner had to battle hard in the opening game before taking complete control in the second to seal another confident victory in Sydney.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma continued her dream run at the tournament with another outstanding performance.
Fresh from her stunning upset over fifth seed and World No. 11 Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei in the previous round, Tanvi defeated compatriot Malvika Bansod 21-13, 21-15 to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Sindhu’s next challenge will come against Chen Su Yu of Chinese Taipei as she aims to keep her title hopes alive.
Tanvi, however, faces a much sterner test after being drawn against tournament top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in what promises to be one of the most anticipated quarterfinal clashes.
Elsewhere in the women’s singles competition, Tanya Hemanth bowed out after suffering a 12-21, 15-21 defeat to Thailand’s second seed Pornpawee Chochuwong.
India also enjoyed success in the men’s doubles event, where Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun produced a dominant display to beat Australian pair Michael Owen and Dylan Soedjasa 21-17, 21-7, securing their place in the quarterfinals.
The Indian duo will next face Chen Cheng Kuan and Liu Kuang Heng of Chinese Taipei for a place in the semifinals.
However, there was disappointment in the mixed doubles category as Dhruv Rawat and K Maneesha exited the tournament following a 19-21, 18-21 loss to Japan’s Akira Koga and Natsu Saito in the second round.
With Sindhu’s experience and Tanvi’s fearless performances grabbing the spotlight, Indian badminton fans will now be hoping the duo can continue their impressive runs and challenge for the Australian Open title.
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