PV Sindhu, Ajay Jayaram Reach Quarterfinals of China Open
PV Sindhu defeated USA's Beiwen Zhang 18-21 22-20 21-17, while Ajay Jayaram edged past Wei Nan of Hong Kong 20-22 21-19 21-12 to make it to the quarterfinals of the China Open
Highlights
-
PV Sindhu and Ajay Jayaram are in the quarters of the China Open
-
Sindhu defeated USA's Beiwen Zhang in a close match
-
Jayaram too came back from a game down to win vs Wei Nan
Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu and male singles shuttler Ajay Jayaram advanced to the quarterfinals after registering thrilling three-game wins over their respective opponents in the second round of the USD 700,000 China Super Series Premier, in Fuzhou on Thursday.
Seventh seeded Sindhu survived a scare from USA's Beiwen Zhang before notching up a 18-21 22-20 21-17 victory in a women's singles match that lasted an hour. The Indian will next take on China's He Bingjiao, against whom she had lost in the second round of the French Open last month.
Jayaram too had to work hard to surpass Wei Nan as he notched up a 20-22 21-19 21-12 win over the Hong Kong shuttler in a 56-minute clash.
The three-time Dutch Open champion, Jayaram will face reigning Olympic champion and two-time World champion and All England champion Chen Long of China in the next round.
However, it was curtains for Swiss Open winner H S Prannoy after he suffered a 17-21 19-21 loss to Qiao Binof China in another men's singles match.
B Sai Praneeth had lost his opening round match 16-21 9-21 against Marc Zwiebler of Germany on Wednesday.
Sindhu blew away a 11-7 lead at the break to allow Zhang comeback and level the scores at 13-13. The American soon moved to a 15-13 and 18-15 lead before reeling off the last three points in to pocket the first game.
In the second game, Sindhu once again zoomed to a 8-0 lead but once again she squandered the advantage as Zhang clawed back to first level the scores at 16-16. She soon lead 19-17 but the Indian ensured there was no hiccup this time as she roared back into the contest.
In the decider, Sindhu held a slender 8-6 lead and then broke off at 9-9 to never look back.
It was a tough battle for supremacy as Jayaram's gallant fight in the opening game ended with a narrow loss after he and Wei moved neck and neck from 11-11 to 20-20.
In the second game, Jayaram erased a 2-6 deficit to drew parity at 9-9. He moved ahead at 14-11 and despite a challenge from Wei, managed to bounce back into the contest after five straight points.
In the decider, Jayaram managed to keep himself at a distance from Wei after opening up a small 7-3 lead. He kept increasing the lead and eventually sealed the issue comfortably.