Image Credits- Badminton Association of India

Image Credits- Badminton Association of India

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu moved into the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships with a solid 21-16, 21-17 win over Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang in 35 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Wednesday. The ninth seed controlled the opening game and then stayed composed when Zhang came back strong in the second. She recovered from 9-11 at the interval to close out the match. Sindhu responded strongly, winning five straight points to move 15-12 ahead, then stayed calm through the closing stages to close out the match 21-17. She handled the court conditions well and used her power to keep the Canadian under pressure.

Speaking after the win, Sindhu said she was familiar with her opponent but was already looking ahead. “I’ve played with Wen Yu Zhang a lot of times. I think we know each other’s game. It’s just that I need to be prepared for long matches. It’s not going to be easy, and you can’t expect easy points because when you’re playing against a top-ranked player, you need to be prepared for everything and anything. I think tomorrow is the same game.”

Sindhu, who is the highest ranked Indian Women's player in the tournament will face China’s world No. 3 Wang Zhi Yi in the Round of 16 as she looks for a record sixth World Championships medal.

Ayush Shetty reaches Pre-Quarterfinals After Clinical Win over Sri Lanka's Dumindu Abeywickrama

Ayush Shetty continued his impressive run at the BWF World Championships with a commanding 21-8, 21-10 victory over Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama in just 26 minutes on Wednesday and sealed his place in the pre-quarterfinals. The Indian who had stunned world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the opening round, made a blistering start and never allowed Abeywickrama to settle. He raced to an 11-3 lead in the first game and wrapped it up 21-8, then maintained the same intensity to close out the second game 21-10.

Speaking after the match, Shetty said he had prepared for a tougher contest. “No, I think I was preparing for a tough match. I think for every match, I come prepared as if it’s going to be a really great match, because everyone’s playing good, playing great badminton. So yeah, I was prepared for a tough match, but happy with the comfortable win,” he said.

Shetty also said his focus firmly on the next match and that he preferred to concentrate on his own game rather than the results of other Indians. Ayush Shetty will face Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the Round of 16. This is his debut at the championship and Ayush has already done brilliantly.

Excerpts from press release