Sindhu cruises past Jakobsen to reach China Masters pre-quarters

Star Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu began her China Masters Super 750 campaign in style, defeating Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen in straight games to storm into the women’s singles pre-quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The two-time Olympic medallist needed just 27 minutes to complete the job, winning 21-4, 21-10.

Sharp return after recent setback

The victory comes less than 10 days after Sindhu’s disappointing first-round exit at the Hong Kong Open, where she lost to another Dane, Line Christophersen.

The 30-year-old, who has suffered six opening-round defeats this year on the BWF World Tour, looked sharp and determined in Shenzhen. She raced to a commanding lead in the opener, wrapping it up in little over 10 minutes.

Dominant performance

Jakobsen briefly levelled at 4-4 in the second game, but Sindhu quickly shifted gears. She went on a six-point surge from 11-8 to 17-8, before closing out the match with ease.

This was a contrast to their last meeting at the Swiss Open earlier this year, where Jakobsen had stretched Sindhu in a three-game battle.

Other Indian challenges ahead

Later in the day, Ayush Shetty will take on sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in men’s singles. Shetty recently stunned Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and will look to continue his good run.

In mixed doubles, Ruthvika Gadde and Rohan Kapoor will face Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.