New Delhi: It was a high-voltage clash as Saina Nehwal took on Carolina Marin in the second round of the Japan Open in Tokyo on Thursday. But it was a disappointing result for the Indian star as she went down 21-16, 21-13 to the Spanish shuttler. Earlier, there was another big match for Indian fans to look forward to. Also in the second round, PV Sindhu took on Nozomi Okuhara but lost 21-18, 21-8.
In the men's singles event, HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth stormed into the quarter-finals after comfortably winning their matches. While Prannoy registered a 21-16, 23-21 win over Hsu Jen Hao of Chinese Taipei in one hour, eighth seed Srikanth took just 29 minutes to clinch a 21-12, 21-11 triumph over Hong Kong's Hu Yun.
Prannoy will now take on second-seed Shi Yuqi of Hong Kong for a place in the semi-finals. Srikanth, on the other hand, has set up a clash against third-seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Meanwhile, it was a curtains down for Sameer Verma as he slumped to a 21-10, 17-21, 15-21 defeat at the hands of second-seed Shi Yuqi of China in a thrilling second-round clash that lasted more than one hour. (With ANI inputs)
