Indonesia Open 2019: Sindhu sets up quarter-final clash with Okuhara; Srikanth crashes out

The top Indian shuttlers had mixed fortunes on Day 3 of the Indonesia Open as PV Sindhu progressed into the quarter-finals, but Kidambi Srikanth crashed out of this Super 1000 tournament. The fifth-seeded Sindhu did not have it easy and was made to work hard by World No. 13 Mia Blichfeldt.

Sindhu began on a confident note, winning the first game with a relentless show of aggression. However, the Dane managed to fight back in the second game and never allowed the Indian to run away.

Blichfeldt's efforts paid off, and she captured the second game 21-17 to force a decider where Sindhu came out on top to secure a 21-14, 17-21, 21-11 win in 62 minutes. Sindhu will be put to a stern test in the quarter-finals for she faces her old rival, Nozomi Okuhara. The Japanese outplayed Sindhu at the Singapore Open in April.

Srikanth, who won this tournament in 2017, was expected to come through his second-round clash with Hong Kong ace NG Ka Long Angus. With a 2-1 head-to-head record over the former Hong Kong Open champion, the Indian was the favourite in this match-up.

But the eighth seed failed to keep his errors at bay, and Angus made no mistake in capitalising on it. Even though the Guntur-born shuttler fought back in the second game, he fell short in the end with a 17-21, 19-21 scoreline in 39 minutes.

Since reaching the final of the India Open in March, Srikanth has been unable to move past the quarter-finals for the fourth tournament in a row.

India's doubles campaign also came to an end with twin losses. The men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty succumbed to a 15-21, 14-21 defeat to the top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. In mixed doubles, Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy departed with a 14-21, 11-21 loss to top seeds Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong.