Fourth-seeded PV Sindhu was left the last Indian standing at the 2017 Badminton Asia Championships as she entered the quarter-finals but the India No. 1 men's singles player Ajay Jayaram crashed out of the continental championships in Wuhan, China on Thursday.
The World No. 3 Sindhu was in impeccable form and brushed aside the 15th ranked Japanese Aya Ohori with remarkable ease in a 21-14, 21-15 rout that lasted 40 minutes.
Jayaram fails to replicate his first round effort
Ajay Jayaram, who caused a big upset on Wednesday by toppling the fifth seed Tian Houwei in the first round, failed to replicate that effort as he succumbed to a 19-21, 10-21 defeat to the World No. 32 Hsu Jen Hao of Chinese Taipei in 35 minutes.
The India Open champion, who plays the eighth-seeded He Bingjiao next, is now the only one who will carry the nation’s hopes at this event.
The young Chinese, ranked seventh, has been struggling all season and has not even reached a quarter-final in the three Superseries tournaments that she has played in 2017. Bingjiao was a nemesis for the Indian last year when she won three out of their six meetings. That said, the Rio Olympic silver medallist did win their most recent showdown on her way to clinching the 2016 China Open Superseries Premier title.
The confidence with which she has been playing at this year’s Badminton Asia Championships should make things pretty difficult for Bingjiao, who has looked off-colour so far.
The Indian has also been presented with a good draw and has realistic chances of making it through to the summit clash.
Her compatriot, the seventh-seeded Saina Nehwal, however, could not capitalize on a one-game lead in her opening round against the Japanese World No. 17 Sayaka Sato and lost 21-19, 16-21, 18-21.
In men’s singles, India’s second entrant, HS Prannoy bowed out to the eighth seed and reigning Hong Kong Open Superseries champion NG Ka Long Angus in three tight games.
Doubles too could not bring any delight to the Indian contingent at Wuhan. The mixed doubles team of N Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra had the best performance of the lot as they took a game off the top seeded Chinese combine of Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen before exiting with a 15-21, 21-14, 16-21 loss.
