Highlights, China Open SSP 2017: Chen Long to face Viktor Axelsen in final; Akane Yamaguchi takes on Gao Fangjie

Report: Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu crashed out of the China Open World Superseries Premier on Friday losing her quarter-finals match to China’s Gao Fangjie. The second seed Hyderabadi shuttler was outplayed by Gao 11-21, 10-21 in a one-sided affair which lasted 37 minutes. Right from the start, Sindhu never looked in the contention. She struggled against the Chinese shuttler and bowed out tamely. Sindhu entered the quarter-finals stage by beating Han Yue of China 21-15, 21-13 on Thursday. Lee Chong Wei, whose world ranking has fallen to seven as he approaches the latter stages of his career, went down in the quarter-finals to Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-long in a 70-minute thriller. Ng, ninth in the world, will play World No 1 and top seed Viktor Axelsen after the formidable Dane beat Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen 21-17, 21-14. In the other semi-final, South Korea’s number two seed Son Wan-Ho will play China’s reigning Olympic champion Chen Long. In the women’s draw, Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand plays Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi and Carolina Marin of Spain faces the Chinese qualifier Gao Fangjie. With inputs from agencies