Round of 16 results: India's singles shuttlers Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu advanced while mixed doubles and men's doubles pairs bowed out of the $1 million China Open World Tour Super 1000 tournament on Thursday.
Srikanth defeated Suppanyu Avihingsanon of Thailand 21-12, 15-21, 24-22 in a marathon match which lasted around an hour while Rio Olympic silver medallist Sindhu edged past Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-23, 21-13, 21-18 in another match.
In mixed doubles category, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa bowed out of the meet, losing to Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong of China 14-21, 11-21 in straight games while second pair Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy lost to Mathias Christiansen Christinna Pedersen of Denmark.
It was the end of roads for the men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy as they lost their match to Chen Hung Ling and Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei 9-21, 10-21 to crash out.
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Updated Date: Sep 21, 2018 17:04:24 IST
Highlights
Ginting makes incredible comeback!
Indonesia's Ginting comes back from a game and 2-8 down in the second game to beat the defending champion, Chen Long of China 18-21, 22-20, 21-16. With that win, he sets up a semi-final clash with Chou Tien Chen.
Ginting forces decider
A humdinger of a game this one, really. Both Chen and Ginting were exceptionally brilliant, playing a glut of wristy and quick winners from every corner of the court. The young Indonesian shuttler eventually edged past the defending champion 22-20.
Chen Long 1-0 Ginting
A tight affair in the first game between local boy Chen and Ginting of Indonesia. Ginting gave a tough fight to the two-time former world champion but succumbed to the wristy strokes from his opponent. Chen won the opening game 21-18.
Chou Tien Chen powers into semis
The Chinese Taipei shuttler gets the better of former World No 1 Son Wan Ho in straight games 21-17, 21-14 to enter the last four. He will face the winner of the other men's singles quarter-final clash between Anthony Ginting and Chen Long of China.
Chou Tien Chen powers into semis
The Chinese Taipei shuttler gets the better of former World No 1 Son Wan Ho in straight games 21-17, 21-14 to enter the last four. He will face the winner of the other men's singles quarter-final clash between Anthony Ginting and Chen Long of China.
Momota marches on!
The Japanese ace is clearly a level or two above the rest of the shuttlers on the circuit and he proves it time and again with stunning performances at the World Tour events. He reaches the semi-finals with a 21-9, 21-11 win over former champion Kidambi Srikanth, who had no answer to Momota's all-round display.
Momota wins first game!
The in-form Japanese shuttler dominates the first game 21-9 against Srikanth, who is struggling to defend from the front. The Indian shuttler must tweak his style.
Carolina Marin enters semis
The ever-explosive shuttler reaches the last four of the women's singles event with a 21-10, 24-22 win over local girl Gao Fangjie. After cruising in the first game, Marin had to push her way past the defensive Gao to win the second stanza.
Marin 1-0 Fangjie
Terrific display by the former world champion to take the first game under her belt. Marin hardly broke a sweat to unsettle Gao, who is still struggling to read the pace at which her opponent is playing. A 21-10 win for the Spaniard in the first game.
LIVE NEWS and UPDATES
16:59 (IST)
That's all from us!
India's last remaining player exits the tournament.It's not been a good day for the Indians, with Kidambi Srikanth losing his match against Kento Momota 9-21, 11-21 and PV Sindhu losing to Chen Yufei 11-21, 21-11, 15-21.
16:41 (IST)
PV Sindhu loses 11-21, 21-11, 15-21 in the quarter-finals
The Indian did well to win the second game, but looked flat-footed for much of the match, and was eventually beaten comprehensively by Chinese shuttler Chen Yufei in the third and deciding game.
16:38 (IST)
18-13 to Chen Yufei
There was a whiff of a comeback as PV Sindhu won a couple of points back-to-back, but Yufei has replied with an impressive spell to take her lead to five points. It's now or never for Sindhu.
16:31 (IST)
11-8 to Chen Yufei!
Despite making a couple of service errors, Chen Yufei enters the mid-game break with a lead of three points. PV Sindhu has failed to find the form she had towards the end of the second game, and she's edging closer to elimination from the competition at the moment, as Yufei relentlessly piles on the pressure,
16:25 (IST)
4-3 to Sindhu!
The third game has looked more of an even contest so far, with both shuttlers doing their best to outwit the other and reach the semi-finals.Sindhu has been edging it, but Chen Yufei looks more involved than she did in the second game, where she was a passive spectator at times
16:21 (IST)
PV Sindhu wins the second game to make it level!
The Indian ran away with it in the end, winning six consecutive points to seal the game at 21-11. She looks much more settled and will look to carry the momentum into the decider.
16:17 (IST)
18-11 to Sindhu!
The tides seem to have turned in favour of the Indian, who has begun to assert herself in the match. She looks much more sprightly and is covering the court in quick, long strides, frustrating Chen Yufei.
16:13 (IST)
11-8 to Sindhu!
PV Sindhu heads into the mid-game break in the lead! The Indian has done well to regain her composure, but Chen Yufei is not making it easy for her. Every single point so far has been hard-fought, and Sindhu will need to keep up the intensity if she wants to win the second game and restore parity.
16:07 (IST)
5-1 to Sindhu!
PV Sindhu comes out swinging! The Indian has reacted well to her loss in the first game, racing to an early lead in the second. The momentum is in her favour and she needs to keep it that way.
16:05 (IST)
In numbers, how Chen Yufei won the first game
16:03 (IST)
Yufei wins the first game 21-11
Sindhu has looked really lead-footed in this opening game. She's not been able to reach the shuttle on multiple occasions. Yufei has dictated the pace in this game!
16:00 (IST)
16-7 to Chen Yufei
Yufei has raced to a commanding lead in the first game, winning five points in a row to pile the pressure on to PV Sindhu. The Indian will need to act quickly if she has any hopes of rescuing the game, but at the moment Yufei looks much sharper.
15:56 (IST)
11-5 to Chen Yufei
The Chinese shuttler enters the first mid-game with a healthy six-point advantage. PV Sindhu has gifted her opponent a couple of points with errors, but it's not out of her reach just yet. She did enjoy a brief positive spell in the beginning though, and she'll need to find her feet quickly.
15:52 (IST)
4-3!
After trailing 1-4 at one point, Sindhu comes roaring back in the first game! She's trailing by just one point now! For that last point, she dived full stretch to return the shuttle and with the entire court unprotected, Yufei pushed the shuttle long!
15:08 (IST)
Let them stats keep coming... Anthony Sinisuka Ginting is on fire!
15:06 (IST)
Yeah, that's why we said INCREDIBLE!
14:59 (IST)
Ginting makes incredible comeback!
Indonesia's Ginting comes back from a game and 2-8 down in the second game to beat the defending champion, Chen Long of China 18-21, 22-20, 21-16. With that win, he sets up a semi-final clash with Chou Tien Chen.
14:48 (IST)
14-9!
Ginting follows up brilliantly at the net to take Chen by surprise. The Indonesian has smartly targeted Chen's backhand side as he continues to find angles to hit down-the-line smashes.
14:34 (IST)
Ginting forces decider
A humdinger of a game this one, really. Both Chen and Ginting were exceptionally brilliant, playing a glut of wristy and quick winners from every corner of the court. The young Indonesian shuttler eventually edged past the defending champion 22-20.
14:26 (IST)
19-19!
And now Chen has successfully managed to make a comeback here. From being down at 10-17, the Chinese ace levels the scores. Ginting is under pressure.
14:12 (IST)
9-9!
It's hard to believe that Ginting was down 2-8 early in the game. He wins the next eight points to level the scores against Chen, who has been pushed towards the backcourt.
14:06 (IST)
7-1!
Chen's variation is tough to crack down and Ginting is struggling to lift the shuttle from the backcourt. The way the Chinese shuttler makes movement from the mid-court and uses the drift is just unbelievable. He leads by six points against the young Indonesian.
14:00 (IST)
Chen Long 1-0 Ginting
A tight affair in the first game between local boy Chen and Ginting of Indonesia. Ginting gave a tough fight to the two-time former world champion but succumbed to the wristy strokes from his opponent. Chen won the opening game 21-18.
13:58 (IST)
Chou Tien Chen powers into semis
The Chinese Taipei shuttler gets the better of former World No 1 Son Wan Ho in straight games 21-17, 21-14 to enter the last four. He will face the winner of the other men's singles quarter-final clash between Anthony Ginting and Chen Long of China.
13:36 (IST)
Chou Tien Chen powers into semis
The Chinese Taipei shuttler gets the better of former World No 1 Son Wan Ho in straight games 21-17, 21-14 to enter the last four. He will face the winner of the other men's singles quarter-final clash between Anthony Ginting and Chen Long of China.
13:23 (IST)
Chou holds advantage
Chou Tien Chen comes from behind to take the first game 21-17 and leads the second 11-9 against Son Wan Ho of South Korea.
12:52 (IST)
Momota marches on!
The Japanese ace is clearly a level or two above the rest of the shuttlers on the circuit and he proves it time and again with stunning performances at the World Tour events. He reaches the semi-finals with a 21-9, 21-11 win over former champion Kidambi Srikanth, who had no answer to Momota's all-round display.
12:44 (IST)
17-8!
There's no way Srikanth is going to mount a comeback from here, especially when his opponent is toying at the net. Momota is unreal. He is arguably better than what Lin Dan was in his heydays.
12:42 (IST)
Srikanth is in deep trouble...
12:40 (IST)
7-3!
Same old story in the second game. Momota's perfectly-time forehand strokes are causing problems for Srikanth who is looking to attack from the mid-court. The Japanese shuttler leads by four points
12:38 (IST)
Momota wins first game!
The in-form Japanese shuttler dominates the first game 21-9 against Srikanth, who is struggling to defend from the front. The Indian shuttler must tweak his style.
12:31 (IST)
18-9! Momota is proving his worth yet again. The recently-installed World No 2 extends his lead to nine points over the struggling Srikanth.
12:27 (IST)
Momota has surged ahead, opening up a six-point lead over the Indian No 1 men's singles shuttler.
12:24 (IST)
Carolina Marin enters semis
The ever-explosive shuttler reaches the last four of the women's singles event with a 21-10, 24-22 win over local girl Gao Fangjie. After cruising in the first game, Marin had to push her way past the defensive Gao to win the second stanza.
12:21 (IST)
5-3! Momota is looking comfortable at the net, hitting a variety of strokes in the early exchanges. Srikanth has struggled against the Japanese in the recent matches.
12:14 (IST)
Kidambi Srikanth vs Kento Momota: Preview
Srikanth, who had won the China Open title in 2014 at the expense of the legendary Lin Dan, will face Japan’s recently-crowned world champion, Kento Momota. The 24-year-old No 3 seed handed compatriot and fellow Thomas Cupper, Kenta Nishimoto, a thorough 21-9, 21-9 hiding, on the back of his equally convincing 21-14, 21-12 triumph over Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the opening round, and will relish taking on Srikanth on the morrow, for the third time this year.
The tale of their head-to-head career meetings is skewed substantially in the Japanese left-hander’s favour, with Momota having won on seven of the ten occasions that the two have clashed. The most telling statistic here is that Momota has won their most recent four encounters, including two in 2018. Srikanth was bludgeoned into submission at 21-13, 21-13 at the Malaysia Open in June, but gave a much better account of himself at the Indonesia Open, a week later, losing at 21-12, 14-21, 15-21.
The Japanese southpaw has won an amazing 94 matches against a mere five losses since he emerged from a year’s suspension in April 2017. The hunger in his mien has been there for all to see; and Srikanth will desperately need to win his last-eight duel on Friday in straight games, for there is no way he can hope to outlast his indefatigable antagonist.
12:06 (IST)
Marin dominating
The Spaniard has maintained the pressure on Gao as she takes an 11-6 lead at the mid-game interval of the second game. The Chinese shuttler is stretched at the forecourt and tramlines. Smart move by Marin.
11:57 (IST)
Marin 1-0 Fangjie
Terrific display by the former world champion to take the first game under her belt. Marin hardly broke a sweat to unsettle Gao, who is still struggling to read the pace at which her opponent is playing. A 21-10 win for the Spaniard in the first game.
11:51 (IST)
Marin into the lead
11-6! Spain's Carolina Marin takes a five-point lead over Gao Fangjie. The Spaniard is bludgeoning attacking strokes left, right and center followed by her *annoying* scream. The crowd isn't really enjoying Marin's explosive badminton.
11:45 (IST)
Shi Yuqi enters semis
China's Shi Yuqi strolls past NG Ka Long Angus 21-17, 21-15 to book a place in the last four. The All England champion had complete control of his strokes and didn't hesitate to cover the backcourt and defend.
11:32 (IST)
11:29 (IST)
Meanwhile in the men's singles department, China's Shi Yuqi is in action against NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong. India's Kidambi Srikanth will be in action shortly as he faces a stiff challenge against the reigning world champion Kento Momota of Japan. The red-hot Anthony Ginting squares off against local shuttler Chen Long, while South Korea's Son Wan Ho takes on the defensive Chou Tien Chen.
11:26 (IST)
There is a host of interesting matches in the quarter-finals fixture today, albeit without World No 1 shuttlers Tai Tzu Ying and Viktor Axelsen.
In the women's singles, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi defeated local shuttler He Bingjiao 21-19, 21-16 to enter the semi-finals. India's PV Sindhu is slated to face home favourite Chen Yufei today. The in-form Gao Fangjie will face Carolina Marin of Spain, while Nozomi Okuhara faces Malaysia's 'next big thing' Gregoria Tunjung.
11:01 (IST)
Hello and welcome to Firstpost's live coverage of the China Open where India's Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu will be quarter-final action today. We'll be providing all the live updates of the matches. Stay tuned!