Spain Masters: PV Sindhu enters quarterfinals, her first of the year

Madrid [Spain], March 31 : Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu reached the quarterfinals at the Madrid Spain Masters 2023 with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Ward on Thursday.

In the final eight, world No. 11 Sindhu will face Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt. The former world champion now leads the Dsh shuttler 5-1 in their previous meetings.

After being eliminated in the first round of the Swiss Open this month, the Malaysian, Indian, and All England Opens, Sindhu will make her first appearance in the tournament's quarterfinals this year.

Earlier, Sindhu advanced to the second round and defeated Switzerland's Jenjira Stadelmann 21-10, 21-14 in a 31-minute affair.

Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth, who slipped to 21st place in the latest badminton rankings, defeated compatriot B Sai Praneeth 21-15, 21-12 to enter the men's singles quarter-finals.

Srikanth will play top-seeded Japanese shuttler Kenta Nishimoto next in the competition.

Malvika Bansod, Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat, Sameer Verma, Aakarshi Kashyap, and Ashmita Chaliha were among the other Indians who crashed out.

Magnus Johannesen of Denmark defeated Kiran George in a 31-minute match, 21-17, 21-12, and eighth-seeded Toma Junior Popov of France defeated Priyanshu Rajawat 21-14, 21-15. In the men's singles, second-seeded Japanese player Kanta Tsuneyama defeated Sameer Verma 21-15, 21-14.

In the women's singles, Ashmitha Chaliha went down to Singapore's Yeo Jia Min 15-21, 15-21 while Aakarshi Kashyap's campaign ended after a 21-13, 21-8 loss to Japan's Natsuki Nidaira.

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