Daijiworld Media Network – Tokyo

Tokyo, Jul 16: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu delivered a stunning performance to defeat world No. 5 Han Yue of China in straight games and enter the quarterfinals of the Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday.

The world No. 10 Indian, who is unseeded in the competition, needed just 35 minutes to overcome the higher-ranked Chinese shuttler 21-16, 21-14 in their second-round clash.

After a slow start, Sindhu gradually found her rhythm in the opening game, producing sharp returns and controlling the rallies to take the lead. The former world champion then dominated the second game, racing to an 8-0 advantage before closing out the match comfortably.

The victory extended Sindhu's impressive head-to-head record against Han Yue to 8-1.

Sindhu will next face Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the quarterfinals. Okuhara advanced after top seed An Se-young of South Korea withdrew from their second-round match.

Sindhu remains India's only player left in the tournament after the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila were eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals.

The Indian duo put up a strong fight but went down 20-22, 17-21 against China's top-seeded pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in a 47-minute round-of-16 encounter.