Prannoy, Kashyap enter pre-quarters of New Zealand Open

H.S. Prannoy and Parupalli Kashyap continued their good run, reaching the pre-quarterfinals with straight-game wins in the men’s singles competition of the New Zealand Grand Prix Gold.

Prannoy, 24, who had clinched the U.S Open in California last month, staved off a challenge from Indonesia’s Firman Abdul Kholik 23-21 21-18.

Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap, who had also reached the finals of the U.S Open, notched up a crushing win over New Zealand’s Oscar Guo 21-9 21-8.

Prannoy will meet 10th seed Hong Kong’s Wei Nan, while 15th seeded Kashyap will face compatriot and seventh seed Sourabh Verma.