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World champion PV Sindhu led the Indian charge into the quarterfinals of the 2021 Swiss Open as Ajay Jayaram upset the third seed in Basel on Thursday.
Joining the two in the last eight are former champion Kidambi Srikanth and fifth seed Sai Praneeth in singles. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, too had double delight on the day, winning in both men's doubles and mixed doubles.
Sindhu to seek revenge against Ongbamrungphan at the Swiss Open
Seeking her first title at the Swiss Open, the second-seeded PV Sindhu always looked in control of proceedings against the 40th-ranked Iris Wang.
The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist needed just 35 minutes to sail into the quarterfinals with an effortless 21-13, 21-14 win.
The world no. 7 next faces the fifth seed Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who had beaten the Indian at the Toyota Thailand Open in January.
Three Indians in the men's singles quarterfinals of the Swiss Open
Former world no. 13 Ajay Jayaram made a big statement at the 2021 Swiss Open, ousting the third seed Rasmus Gemke 21-18, 17-21, 21-13.
Jayaram's world ranking has now slipped to no. 60 after a string of injuries and inconsistency. This huge win over the world no. 12 will boost his confidence as he aims to climb his way back into the elite.
Jayaram has eighth seed and three-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn up next after the latter knocked out India's Sourabh Verma 21-17, 21-14.
Meanwhile, 2015 Swiss Open champion Kidambi Srikanth dropped a game to world no. 50 Thomas Rouxel but bounced back to complete a 21-10, 14-21, 21-14 victory. Srikanth next takes on sixth seed Kantaphon Wangcharoen in his quest for a semifinal spot at the 2021 Swiss Open.
Fifth seed Sai Praneeth had a breezy outing against world no. 54 Pablo Abian. The former Singapore Open winner recorded a 21-12, 21-17 win over the Spaniard to set up a quarterfinal clash with the second seed Lee Zii Jia.
Satwik-Chirag stretched to three games in Swiss Open pre-quarterfinals
For the second straight day at the Swiss Open, India's top men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty survived a scare. Just like in the first round, the second seeds conceded a tight second game before wrapping up a win in three.
The unseeded Indonesian pair of Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan put up a gritty fight before going down 17-21, 20-22, 17-21 to the Indian pair. Satwik and Chirag will now come up against fifth seeds Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi for a place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Satwik also teamed up with Ashwini Ponnappa to enter the mixed doubles quarterfinals of this Tokyo Olympic qualifier. The Toyota Thailand Open semifinalists swatted aside Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari 21-18, 21-16 to set up a meeting with the fifth seeds Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing.
In women's doubles, Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy, however, bowed out after an 11-21, 15-21 reverse against the Danish pair of Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn.
