Changzhou (China), September 18: World champion P V Sindhu eased into the pre-quarterfinals with a convincing win over former Olympic gold-medallist Li Xuerui, but Saina Nehwal crashed out of the China Open Super 1000 tournament on Wednesday (September 18).
India's top shuttler Sindhu needed just 34 minutes to beat Li Xuerui 21-18 21-12. And following on from her world championship win, the Olympic silver-medallist produced another strong performance to get the better of the 20th-ranked Chinese, who entered the match with a 3-3 head-to-head record.
Meanwhile, Sindhu's compatriot Saina made an early exit after losing to Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the women's singles.
The London Olympics bronze-medallist lost 10-21 17-21 to the World No.19 Ongbamrungphan in a match that lasted for 44 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Xincheng Gymnasium.
It was the former world number one's second successive loss to the Thai player. The 29-year-old Saina has struggled for form following her recovery from injuries. The Indian started her season with a win at the Indonesia Open but has failed to reach another final on the BWF circuit so far.
Elsewhere, B Sai Praneeth defeated Thailand's Suppanyu Avihingsanon 21-19 21-23 21-14 to make the next round of the men's singles event. The duo of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy lost to Germany's Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich 12-21 21-23.