Heeyong kong

Wardani Putri Kusuma:  India's main hopes in badminton maintained their chances of finishing on the podium as PV Sindhu in women's singles, HS Prannoy in men's singles, and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty in men's doubles secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games badminton competitions here on Wednesday.

Sindhu defeated Indonesia's Wardani Putri Kusuma in straight games in a Round of 16 clash; Prannoy brushed aside Kazakhstan's Dmitriy Panarin in 29 minutes while Rankireddy and Shetty were taken to three games but emerged winners against Leo Rollycarnando and Daniel Marthin of Indonesia, 24-22, 16-21, 21-12 in 84 minutes.

However, the upcoming women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand exited the competition after a hard-fought battle against the reigning Olympic bronze medallist pair Soyeong Kim and Heeyong Kong, ranked third in the world, in 82 minutes. The Indian duo lost 15-21, 21-18, 13-21 in the pre-quarterfinals encounter.