News Sports Other Badminton: PV Sindhu defeats Mia Blichfeldt in straight sets, books place in quarter-final

Badminton: PV Sindhu defeats Mia Blichfeldt in straight sets, books place in quarter-final

Sindhu cashed in on Blichfeldt's unforced errors to grab the first set 21-15 and then dominated the second to clinch the match.

PV Sindhu of India Image Source : APPV Sindhu of India

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu earned a hard-fought 21-15 21-13 win over Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt to advance into the quarter-final of women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Sindhu raced to an 11-6 lead in the first set before the Danish shuttler levelled things up. Sindhu, however, cashed in on Blichfeldt's unforced errors to grab the first game 21-15.

The 26-year-old was ruthless in the second set as she tightened the noose even further. Sindhu clinched the second set 21-13. Sindhu will now face Akane Yamaguchi or Kim Ga-Eun in the quarters of the quadrennial showpiece event.

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Earlier, Sindhu made easy work of her Hong Kong opponent NY Cheung, cruising to a 21-9 win in the first game and advancing into the pre-quarters. Ngan Yi showed more fight in the second game but Sindhu got the better of her to register a convincing win. 

The shuttler from Hyderabad, seeded sixth, had defeated Ksenia Polikarpova of Israel in her opening match. Sindhu is the lone Indian badminton hope left in the fray after B Sai Praneeth's maiden Olympic campaign ended in the men's competition.

The pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy also made an exit from the Games despite winning two matches in their group.