Sindhu Advances.. Lakshya Sen, Unnati Hooda Knocked Out

Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. Sindhu, who is chasing a record sixth World Championships medal, defeated Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17 in the second round. She will next face third seed Wang Zhi Yi of China. In men’s singles, Ayush Shetty continued his impressive run after stunning defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round. He defeated Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10 to book his place in the last 16.

However, it was a disappointing day for Lakshya Sen and Unnati Hooda. Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, suffered a 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 defeat to American teenager Garrett Tan and was knocked out. World Championships debutant Unnati Hooda also bowed out after a fighting 21-11, 9-21, 21-23 loss to Canada’s Michelle Li. In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals after receiving a walkover, while Arjun and Hariharan were eliminated. Mixed doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila also progressed after a straight-game win.