PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen secured their spots in the semifinals of the Canada Open Super 500 badminton tournament with contrasting victories on Friday.
In the women's singles quarterfinals, Sindhu, a double Olympic medalist, defeated Fang Jie with a commanding score of 21-13, 21-7. This win marked Sindhu's first victory in four encounters against Fang Jie.
Meanwhile, Sen faced a spirited challenge from German qualifier Julien Carraggi in the men's singles quarterfinal. After a tough battle, Sen emerged victorious 21-8, 17-21, 21-10.
Sindhu's semifinal will be against world number one, Japan's Yamaguchi, while Sen will face fourth-seeded Japanese player Kenta Nishimoto.
Sindhu holds a favorable head-to-head record of 14-10 against top seed Yamaguchi; however, their last meeting resulted in a defeat for Sindhu at the Singapore Open earlier this year. On the other hand, Sen's head to head against Nishimoto stands at 1-1, last playing at the 2022 Japan Open.
Sindhu exhibited alertness from the beginning of her match, swiftly taking a 5-1 lead. Her powerful smashes and precise drops posed challenges for Fang Jie, who also struggled with unforced errors.
Sindhu maintained her momentum and secured an 11-6 lead at the interval. Despite Fang Jie narrowing the gap to 10-14 and then 12-16, Sindhu sealed the game with two powerful smashes.
The second game started evenly, with Fang Jie briefly holding a slender 5-3 lead. However, Sindhu quickly turned the tables, leading 11-5 at the interval as her opponent struggled with shots hitting the net.
Sindhu controlled the game, dominating rallies and forcing her opponent into errors. Fang Jie's attempts for precision missed the mark, resulting in two net errors that ultimately handed the match to Sindhu.
(With agency inputs)
