Paris, March 7 India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu stormed into the quarter-final of the French Open Super 750 tournament after beating Beiwen Zhang of the USA as Kidambi Srikanth gets knocked out in the second round, here on Thursday.
For Sindhu, the journey back from a knee injury was marked by anticipation and determination. Stepping onto the court for her first BWF tour event since her return, the two-time Olympic medallist faced a formidable opponent in USA's Beiwen Zhang.
Despite a shaky start, Sindhu refused to be deterred from outgunning World No. 10 Zhang 13-21 21-10 21-14 to enter her first quarterfinal of the season.
The match wasn't without its challenges. Sindhu's opponent, Zhang, controlled the drift with remarkable precision, leaving the Indian shuttler scrambling to adjust. Yet, Sindhu's resolve never wavered. Shifting her focus to a more aggressive style of play in the second game, she seized control of the match, leaving Zhang struggling to keep pace.
The world No.11 will next face the winner between Chen Yu Fei of China and Denmark's Line Christophersen.
Meanwhile, in the men's singles, Kidambi Srikanth faced his own set of obstacles. Despite a flawless record against his opponent, world no. 17 Guang Zu of China, Srikanth found himself locked in a fierce battle on the court. With each point contested fiercely, the former world No.1 fought tooth and nail, refusing to concede defeat easily. Yet, in a match that stretched to its limits, Srikanth fell just short of victory, succumbing to a narrow loss 21-19 12-21 20-22 after a grueling 78 minutes of play.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand continued their good form and took a comfortable win (21-18, 21-13) over the world no.7 Japanese duo, Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota to advance into the quarters.
They will have a tough task in the quarterfinal clash against world no.1 Chinese pair of Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yifan on Friday.
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