Syed Modi Badminton: Sameer Verma, Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap enter quarterfinals
Defending champion Sameer Verma and former champions Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap progressed to the quarterfinals of the Syed Modi International World Super Tour 300 with contrasting victories, in Lucknow on Thursday.
Second-seeded Saina, who is a three-time winner of the Lucknow tourney, defeated Amolika Singh Sisodiya 21-14, 21-9, while 2012 and 2015 champion Kashyap recovered from a game down to see off Indonesia's Firman Abdul Kholik 9-21, 22-20, 21-8 in another match.
Third seed Sameer beat China's Zhao Junpeng 22-20 21-17 and will meet China's Zhou Zeqi.
Former Olympic bronze medallist, Saina will next face eighth-seeded compatriot Rituparna Das, who beat fellow Indian Shruti Mundada 21-11, 21-15 in a one-sided clash. Kashyap will meet Thailand's Sitthikom Thammasin, seeded 8th.
B Sai Praneeth, seeded 4th, brushed aside Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito 21-12 21-10 and will take on China's Lu Guangzu, seeded sixth, ended the run of Saarlorlux champion Subhankar Dey with a 21-13, 21-10 win.
In women's singles, Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka also notched up a 21-12, 21-15 win over compatriot Reshma Karthik 21-12, 21-15. She will square off against former Olympic champion Li Xuerui, seeded 7th.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa also entered the last eight by defeating compatriots Shivam Sharma and Poorvisha S Ram 12-21, 21-14, 21-15 in a mixed doubles match.
