Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu produced one of her most commanding displays of the season to outclass world No. 5 Han Yue of China in straight games and book her place in the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Japan Open Super 750 on Thursday.
The former world champion needed just 35 minutes to dispatch the fifth seed 21-16, 21-14, extending her impressive head-to-head record against the Chinese shuttler to 8-1 and keeping India’s campaign alive in Tokyo.
Sindhu weathered a competitive start before taking control of the opening game with crisp shot-making and patient rally construction. As her confidence grew, so did her authority on court, allowing her to pull away and claim the first game 21-16.
The second game was a one-sided affair from the outset. Sindhu raced into an 8-0 lead with relentless attacking play, leaving Han Yue struggling to find answers. Although the Chinese player briefly halted the momentum, Sindhu remained firmly in command, combining solid defence with clinical finishing to wrap up a convincing 21-14 victory.
The win sends world No. 10 Sindhu into the last eight, where she will meet Japan’s former world champion Nozomi Okuhara. Okuhara progressed after top seed and world No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea retired from their second-round match.
Sindhu is now India’s lone surviving representative in the tournament after the country’s mixed doubles challenge ended earlier in the day.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto fought hard against China’s top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping but went down 20-22, 17-21 in the Round of 16. The Indian pair stayed in contention throughout the 47-minute contest before bowing out to one of the world’s strongest mixed doubles combinations.
With Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda all exiting in the opening round, Sindhu’s dominant victory ensures India will have representation in the quarterfinals.