Kumamoto. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu reached the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament but Lakshya Sen made a first round exit. World number 20 Sindhu defeated 11th ranked Busanan Ongamrungphan of Thailand 21-12, 21-18. Now she will play against Michelle Lee of Canada.
Lakshya, after winning the first game, came under pressure and faced defeat against Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia by 22-20, 17-21, 16-21. Lakshya, who played the Paris Olympics semi-finals, got the lead in the deciding game but Hao won by taking five consecutive points.
Sindhu had a slow start and fell behind 1-5 but made a comeback and took the lead 11-10 at the break. On the other hand, Busanan made continuous mistakes of which Sindhu took full advantage and won the first game with a half smash on crosscourt by taking seven consecutive points. Sindhu remained dominant in the second game too and scored 11 out of the last 12 points. Now Sindhu is the only Indian left in this tournament.