Prannoy, Sindhu enter quarter-finals of China Masters

Ace India shuttlers HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu entered the quarter-finals of their respective men’s and women’s singles matches after posting comfortable straight-game wins at the China Masters Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament here on Thursday.

India’s star women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashiwini Ponnappa also made the last eight stage with an easy win, but it was curtains for men’s doubles duo of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar.

Prannoy, seeded seventh, got the better of Malaysia’s Daren Liew 21-10, 21-15 in a contest that lasted 34 minutes and will next take on top seed Chen Long.

Fourth seeded Sindhu also had an easy outing against Chinese Taipei’s Chien Hui Yu, winning 21-9, 21-17 in just 33 minutes. She will now face Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand in the quaterfinals. Jwala and Ponnappa thrashed Chinese Taipei pair of Hsieh Pei Chen and Wu Ti Jung 21-12, 21-12 in 28 minutes to set up a clash with top seeded Chinese duo of Luo Ying and Luo Yu.

However, Pranaav and Akshay bowed out of the tournament after going down to seventh seeded Chinese combination of Wang Yilyu and Zhang Wen 17-21, 12-21 in 36 minutes in the second round of men’s doubles.