Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag enter pre-quarterfinals at World Championships

Paris, Aug 27 (PTI) 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.

She will face Chinese second seed Wang Zhi Yi.

Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then produced a solid show to overcame Chinese Taipei's Yang Po Han and Liu Kuang Heng 22-20 21-13 and advance to the pre-quarterfinals.

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, 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 led 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 game, 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.

In men's doubles, Satwik and Chirag showcased their trademark attacking prowess and delivered some venomous smashes from the backcourt.

The Indians committed quite a few service errors and were guilty of giving away the attack. Their opponents were equally up for the task especially in the first part of the opening game as the two pairs moved and neck and neck till the break.

After resumption, the Indian duo tightened its game and slowly opened up a handy four-point cushion at 20-16.

However, the Taipei duo reeled off four straight points, including the Yang Po Han's stunning behind-the-back shot that creeped over the net, to level the contest at 20-all.

Chirag then produced a steep downward return that earned the Indians another game point, and this time they made no mistake, converting it to seal the opener 22-20.

After the change of ends, the Indians opened up a 6-3 lead but Liu and Yang kept making things difficult as Satwik and Chirag managed to take a two-point cushion at the break.

After a pep talk from coach Tan Kim Her in the interval, the Indians managed to win a series of quick points to take a 16-10 lead. It was all India thereafter as Satwik and Chirag grabbed seven match points after winning a crucial referral and converted quickly to seal the match. PTI ATK AM ATK AM AM