Indonesia Masters: Sindhu, Lakshya eye semifinal spots

India’s leading badminton players P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen advanced to the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters after registering straight game victories in their respective pre quarterfinal matches on Thursday.

Lakshya Sen produced a commanding performance in the men’s singles round of 16, defeating Hong Kong China’s Jason Gunawan 21 10, 21 11 in a match that lasted just over half an hour. The Indian shuttler controlled the pace throughout, using sharp court coverage and clean attacking strokes to seal the contest comfortably.

In the women’s singles, two time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu overcame Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaerfeldt 21 19, 21 18 in a closely fought encounter that lasted 43 minutes. It was Sindhu’s fifth win over the Dane in their six meetings so far, as the Indian held her nerve in key moments of both games.

Sindhu will face a tough challenge in the quarterfinals against tournament top seed and world number four Chen Yu Fei of China . The two have met 13 times previously, with Chen holding a narrow 7-6 advantage. Sindhu’s last victory over the Chinese shuttler came in 2019.

Both Sindhu and Lakshya are scheduled to play their quarterfinal matches on January 23 as the tournament enters its decisive stages.