PV Sindhu enters pre-quarterfinals at World Championships

Paris: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu once again relied on a late surge to overcome Malaysia's world No. 40 Letshanaa Karupathevan and reach the women's singles pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships here on Wednesday.

The former world champion, who had survived a scare in the opening round too, rallied from 12-18 down in the first game to register a 21-19 21-15 victory in 42 minutes.

Earlier, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto entered the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-11, 21-16 win over Ireland's Joshua Magee and Moya Ryan.

The Indians will next face fifth seeds Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong for a place in the quarterfinals.

It was a case of déjà vu for Sindhu, who had looked sluggish against Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova in her opener on Tuesday. Against Letshanaa too, she struggled to find her rhythm early and trailed throughout, unable to build pressure on the Malaysian's defence.

Letshanaa started aggressively against Sindhu, firing a smash to the Indian's forehand flank that went unanswered before following it up with a delicate drop that kissed the line. Sindhu struggled to find her rhythm and trailed 1-4.

The Malaysian continued to dictate terms, mixing her down-the-line smashes with quick net play. Sindhu was unable to build pressure or string together points, and Letshanaa went into the mid-game interval with an 11-8 lead.

Technically sound and physically strong, Letshanaa's faster, attacking game exposed Sindhu's inconsistency as the Indian slipped behind further. At 18-12, the Malaysian looked firmly in control.

But Sindhu clawed her way back into the contest. With six straight points, she levelled the score at 18-all, aided by an error from Letshanaa, who sent a smash wide under pressure.

Sindhu kept her composure at 19-19, producing a clean smash to grab the game point, which was also the first time she lead in the game.

An indecision at the backline triggering a weak reply from Letshanaa was swiftly punished by the Indian, who closed out the game after her opponent sent another shot long.

Sindhu carried the momentum into the second, racing to a 5-1 advantage, drawing her opponent forward and finishing points with authority at the net and from the backline.

The Malaysian struggled to keep pace as Sindhu extended her lead to 7-3 and 9-5, though the Indian was guilty of a couple of misjudged leaves at the backline. A fortuitous net cord winner further stretched her cushion as she went up 10-6 at the mid-point of the second game.

Sindhu looked in command, her smashes finding range and her variations troubling the Malaysian, who kept fighting before the Indian grabbed seven match points following a couple of long shots from Letshanaa.

Sindhu sealed the match when the Malaysian miscued a forehand.