Defending champion PV Sindhu sailed into the quarterfinals but newly-crowned National champions Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy crashed out of the China Open Superseries Premier on Thursday.
World No. 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China’s Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop-sided 40-minute women’s singles match.
Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will clash with another Chinese qualifier Gao Fangjie on Friday in the quarter-final.
But it was not a day to remember for Saina and Prannoy, who had clinched the National championship titles at Nagpur earlier this month.
While Saina lost 18-21 11-21 against her Japanese nemesis and fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles second round, world no. 11 Prannoy was stunned by 53rd ranked Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong 21-19 21-17 in the men’s singles event.
Read more about Saina and Prannoy’s defeats here.