India’s PV Sindhu advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the 2024 Denmark Open Super 750 after her opponent Pai Yu Po pulled out midway from their women’s singles first round clash on Tuesday.
The double Olympic medallist was leading 21-8, 13-7 when the Chinese Taipei shuttler decided to retire owing to an injury 26 minutes into the match.
Sindhu will next face off against Han Yue of China in the Round of 16.
Lakshya Sen bows out
Meanwhile, Indian men’s singles shuttler Lakshya Sen faced his second consecutive loss on his return after a long break post the 2024 Paris Olympics as he went down 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to China’s Lu Guang Zu.
Sen had lost in the second round of the Arctic Open Super 500 last week after having recieved a walkover in the opening round.
The 23-year-old from Almora started in a strong fashion against Lu, winning the first game 21-12. He even led 8-2 in the second game, but failed to sustain the momentum.
As has been the case in recent times, Sen seemed to have lost his concentration at a crucial juncture in the match and Lu fought back.
Errors crept into the Indian’s game and the downward spiral never stopped as he conceded the match in 70 minutes.
Elsewhere, Aakarshi Kashyap lost to Thailand’s Supanida Katethong 13-21, 12-21 in straight games. Malvika Bansod suffered the same fate at the hands of Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh with a same scoreline.
Moreover, the women’s doubles pair of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda also suffered an 18-21, 22-24 opening round defeat against Chinese Taipei’s Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.
Later in the day, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Aadya Variyath and Sathish Karunakaran will take on Indonesia’s Rehan Kusharjanto and Lisa Kusumawati.
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