Jakarta: India enjoyed a strong day at the Indonesia Masters, with PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen both booking their places in the quarterfinals with composed straight-game victories on Thursday.
Sindhu produced a controlled performance to defeat Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt 21-19, 21-18 in the women’s singles second round. The Indian ace, who had suffered a surprise loss to the Dane last season, showed greater patience and tactical clarity this time around. She led for most of the opening game, briefly allowing Kjaersfeldt back into contention before closing it out under pressure.
The second game followed a similar script, with Sindhu regaining control after an early wobble and resisting a late challenge to seal the match in straight games. She will now face top seed Chen Yu Fei of China in a high-profile quarterfinal clash.
In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen was equally dominant as he swept past Indonesia’s Jason Gunawan 21-10, 21-11. The Commonwealth Games champion was sharp across departments, combining heavy smashes with tidy net play and solid defence to keep his opponent under constant pressure.
Despite conceding a few points while holding multiple match points in the second game, Lakshya never looked in danger and wrapped up one of his most convincing performances of the young season. The win marks his second successive quarterfinal appearance this year.
Lakshya will next take on Thailand’s Panitchapon Teeraratasakul for a place in the semifinals, as India continues its strong showing at the Super 500 event.
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