Paris: Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu stunned world number 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China to storm into the quarterfinals of the World Championships, while the doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto pulled off a shock win over fifth seeds Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, here Thursday.
The 15th-ranked Sindhu, who won the world title in Basel in 2019, took 48 minutes to prevail 21-19 21-15 in the pre-quarterfinals to lead her head-to-head record against the Chinese 3-2.
The 30-year-old Indian will now face world number nine Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the quarterfinals. Sindhu is now just one victory away from securing a record-equalling sixth World Championships medal.
The Indian maintained her momentum in the second game to seal the contest and extend her head-to-head record against the Chinese to 3-2. P
Dhruv, Tanisha Advance
The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto made it to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships by knocking off the two-time World Championships medalists pair of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet in their round of 16 clash on Thursday.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Kapila and Crasto kick-started their campaign in the second round. The two-time World Championships bronze medalist Hong Kong pair was off to a fine start in this third round match, capturing a closely-fought first game by 19-21. However, the resolve and determination of the Indian pair was too strong as they captured the next two games by 21-15, 21-15, sending the fifth-ranked pair out of the competition. Now, their contest in the quarterfinals will be the pair of Linden Wang and Eva Wang.
Earlier, Kapila and Castro overwhelmed Joshua Magee and Moya Ryan from Ireland. The Indian duo hardly broke a sweat and wrapped up the contest with a 21-11, 21-16 victory in 35 minutes.
They dominated the opening game and then quickly built a 12-8 lead in the second. The Indian pair had a scare after Kapila tumbled and appeared in pain while clutching his knee. He returned to the court and did not show any sign of pain as he moved to the Round of 16 with a victory in straight sets.
