Thailand Open: PV Sindhu and Satwik-Chirag storm into quarterfinals

India enjoyed another productive day at the Thailand Open as two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and star men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarterfinals with commanding victories on Thursday.

World number 12 Sindhu continued her impressive run in the tournament with a clinical 21-13, 21-15 win over Denmark’s Amalie Schulz in just 28 minutes. The former world champion looked in complete control throughout the contest, using her sharp movement, sharp smashes and attacking intent to dominate long rallies and keep the Dane under constant pressure.

Sindhu, who started her campaign with a convincing 21-9, 21-12 win over Chinese Taipei’s Tung Chiu-Tong, has now entered the last eight without losing.

The Indian ace will next face reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi in what promises to be one of the highlight-reel matches of the tournament. Sindhu holds a slender 15-13 lead in their head-to-head record, with the rivalry having produced some memorable encounters over the years.

The strong run comes just days after Sindhu registered an important opening round win at the Singapore Open, defeating fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia 21-17, 21-18 in the women’s event.

The 30-year-old produced a composed performance against the world number six and avenged the two defeats that Wardani suffered last year at the World Championship and the Sudirman Cup.

Sindhu raced to a 4-0 lead before Wardani fought back to level at 7-7 and later moved to a 15-11 lead in the opening game. However, the Indian responded brilliantly, winning six of the last seven points to take the first game.

In the second game, the two players repeatedly exchanged the lead in a tense duel. Sindhu managed a 13-11 lead before Wardani equalized again, but the Indian held her nerve in the closing stages to complete a straight-sets win.

Meanwhile, Satwik and Chirag continued their strong form in the men’s doubles with a 21-12, 21-19 win over Malaysians Bryan Jeremy Goonting and Muhammad Haikal.

The top seeded Indian pair dominated the opening game with aggressive returns and quick exchanges at the net. Although the Malaysians fought back in the second game, Satwik and Chirag hung on in the closing stages of the tie to seal the match in straight games.

The Indian duo entered the Thailand Open after playing a key role in India’s historic Thomas Cup bronze medal campaign and have looked sharp in the tournament so far.

Earlier, Satwik and Chirag survived a tough opening round clash against Indonesians Muh Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana, who came through in three games to keep their campaign alive.

India’s Thailand Open challenge continues later in the day when Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Malvika Bansod and Devika Sihag begin their matches.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

26 May 2026 18:24 IST