Badminton Asia Championships: PV Sindhu, Chirag-Satwik enter quarters; Saina Nehwal loses in the second round

Star Indian shuttler Sindhu will encounter third seed Chinese He Bing Jiao in the quarterfinals. In straight games, the 26-year-old overcame lowly-ranked Yue Yann Jaslyn Hooi of Singapore in the women's singles competition on April 28, 2022.

Indians Sail into the Quarterfinals

Seeded fourth, Sindhu had won a bronze medal in the 2014 Gimcheon edition after defeating Jaslyn Hooi, ranked 100th, 21-16, 21-16, in 42 minutes to square off against third seed Chinese He Bing Jiao. She lost to Sindhu and usurped a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. The world number seven Indian Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, currently holds a 7-9 head-to-head record against Bing Jiao, whom she overcame twice in the last two meetings

Despite the considerable difference in their rankings, Jaslyn Hooi gave a tough fight to the Indian, who found herself trailing by two points at 7-9 against her opponent. The Singaporean took a slender 11-10 lead at the interval, but Sindhu levelled 16-16 before winning the opening game. The Indians took a 12-8 advantage in the second game after slight trouble owing to a side change. Hooi caught up and came as close as 15-16 before Sindhu improved her game to win the match, 

On the other hand, the Indian men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also triumphed in the second round, which further pleased the Indian supporters. They glided into the last eight with a 21-17, 21-15 win over Japan's Akira Koga and Taichi Saito. The world number seven Indian pairing faces either fifth-seeded Malaysian Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik or the Singaporean duo of Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Jun Liang Andy Kwek.

Saina Nehwal's Second Round Defeat Shocks Fans

However, fan favourite and London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal couldn't live up to her calibre on the court. Her goal of winning her fourth medal in the tournament ended after she succumbed to 21-12 7-21 13-21 to 22-year-old Chinese Wang Zhi Yi, ranked 16th in the world. Saina is on a recovery path after a series of injuries caused her to skip the selection trials for the upcoming big-ticket events such as Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Uber Cup.

Top seed Yamaguchi into the quarters

Top seed Akane Yamaguchi almost didn't qualify against 317th-ranked qualifier Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi before storming into the quarterfinals. Men's top-ranked player Kento Momota bowed out of the event in the first round on Wednesday. Yamaguchi received a similar scare the same way as her fellow Japanese in Manila. Indonesia's Dewi won the first game 23-21, but reigning champion Yamaguchi resurfaced to win the remaining two games 21-9, 21-19 and pocket the match in 46 minutes. She will face Thailand's sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in the last eight.

Meanwhile, second seed An Seyoung had an easier time defeating China's Zhang Yiman 21-7, 21-19. In the men's draw, Singapore's reigning world champion and sixth-seeded Loh Kean Yew thrashed Japan's Koki Watanabe 21-16, 21-6 to enter the quarterfinals. In the next round, he will face Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, the fourth seed.