US Open Badminton 2023: PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen storm into quarterfinals

PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen have progressed to the quarterfinals of the US Open 2023 BWF Super 300 tournament on Friday, July 14.

Sindhu took on Sung Shuo Yun in the women’s singles Round of 16. Ranked 12th in the BWF world badminton rankings, the Indian started slow but found her footing as the match progressed.

The two-time Olympic medallist raced to a 13-5 lead against the Chinese Taipei player and wrapped up the first game with ease to take a lead in the contest.

The second game started with both players going toe to toe. However, Sung Shuo Yun couldn't match Sindhu’s intensity as the latter won five consecutive points to seal the match 21-14, 21-12 in 37 minutes.

Sindhu will take on China's Gao Fang Jie in her last eight fixture. She holds a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head and will go into the contest with confidence following her comfortable win against Shuo Yun.

Lakshya Sen, seeded third in the tournament, took on Jan Louda for a place in the final eight. He started strong and comfortably took the first game. The Czech player, however, fought back in the following game.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion took a 19-14 lead and looked close to leveling the score when Sen fought hard to make it 19-all. The Indian then held his nerve to clinch the second game and win the match 21-8, 23-21 in 39 minutes.

In the quarterfinals, Sen will face compatriot S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian.

The 19-year-old Sankar Muthusamy, who hails from Chennai, defeated Israel’s Misha Zilberman in his last 16 encounter. The 2022 World Junior Championships fought hard to register a 21-18, 21-23, 21-13 and book his place in the quarterfinals.