Two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu came from behind to beat Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei in a hard-fought first-round match at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China on Wednesday.
Sindhu defeated World No. 33 Goh 18-21, 14-21, 19-21, finishing the 64-minute fixture after converting her fifth match point. She became the first Indian to reach the round of 16 at the ongoing edition of the continental event after quite a few of her compatriots, including Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, crashed out.
Sindhu, who won a bronze medal in the 2022 edition, faces sixth-seeded Chinese Han Yue for a place in the quarterfinals.
H.S. Prannoy, seeded seventh, saved three match points in a thrilling 17-21, 23-21, 23-21 win in 90 minutes over China’s Lu Guang Zu. This is only the second time this season that Prannoy has gone past the opening round of a tournament. The top-ranked Indian shuttler takes on Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in the round of 16.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who needed to at least reach the women’s doubles final to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Olympics alive, lost 2-21, 11-21 to fourth-seeded Chinese duo of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
