China Masters: P.V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Malvika Bansod advance to second round

Shenzhen (China):  India’s badminton stars P.V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and Malvika Bansod advance to the second round of the China Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament, here on Wednesday. In the men’s singles, Lakshya Sen recorded a significant victory against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in a rematch of their bronze-medal clash from the Paris Olympics. This time, the Indian emerged victorious, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-13 in 57 minutes. The triumph ended Lakshya’s winless streak of four tournaments since the Paris Games and sets him up for a tough round-of-16 matchup against either Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke or Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto. Malvika Bansod also impressed, surviving a grueling one-hour-14-minute thriller against Denmark’s Line Kjaersfeldt. The Indian shuttler triumphed 20-22, 23-21, 21-16 in a closely fought match, displaying remarkable grit and determination. She will face Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the next round. Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu showcased her dominance, defeating Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-17, 21-19 in a 50-minute contest. This marked Sindhu’s 20th win in 21 encounters against the world No. 11, further cementing her head-to-head supremacy. Sindhu now gears up for a challenging clash against Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min in the round of 16. Later in the day, India’s men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, as well as the women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, will also take to the court. –IANS