Arctic Open 2023 Quarterfinals Highlights: PV Sindhu advances into semis, top seed Tai Tzu Ying out

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In the frigid battleground of the Arctic Open 2023, the Indian contingent's performance has been a story of mixed fortunes, with several shuttlers exiting the tournament in the Round of 16. The journey began with the grueling qualifying rounds, where Harshit Aggarwal showed remarkable tenacity and skill but was eventually outmatched by his opponent, Joakim Oldorff. The scoreboard depicted a tale of a hard-fought battle, ending at 19-21 and 12-21 in Oldorff's favor.

However, the spotlight shifted to the mixed doubles arena, where Sai Pratheek and Tanisha Crasto emerged as the shining stars of the Indian campaign. Their performance was nothing short of scintillating, as they overcame the formidable duo of Andreas Sondergaard and Iben Bergstein. The sheer intensity of the encounter was evident, as they secured a nail-biting first game with a slender margin of 26-24, followed by a resounding 21-18 victory in the second.

As the Arctic open 2023 progressed to the main draw, PV Sindhu continued to be a beacon of hope for the Indian contingent. The badminton virtuoso showcased her unmistakable dominance on the court, delivering a masterclass performance against former world champion Nozomi Okhuhara.

Despite these glimmers of success, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Indian shuttlers. Aakarshi Kashyap found herself in a gripping three-game battle against Lianne Tan. The encounter put her skills, determination, and mental fortitude to the test. In a stunning comeback, Kashyap emerged triumphant with scores of 18-21, 22-20, and 21-18, securing her place in the next round of Arctic open 2023.

However, the journey took a challenging turn for Malvika Bansod, who faced the daunting opponent, Supanida Kathetong. Despite her unwavering resilience, Bansod was unable to secure a victory and was defeated with scores of 10-21 and 5-21.

PV Sindhu went a step forward and defeated Chinese Taipei's Wen Chi Su in straight games to progress for the quarterfinals. After a quarterfinals exit at Asian Games 2023 last week, Sindhu has won back-to-back matches and looks set to enter her 2nd BWF tour semifinals this year.

However, India's No.3 Kidambi Srikanth exited in the pre-quarters after the loss to Japan's Kanta Tsuneyama. Other Indians in the fray Kiran George lost to 4th seed Lu Guang Zu in straight games. Earlier he defeated WR-26 Toma Junior Popov of France but couldn't cross the Chinese hurdle.

India’s performance on day 3 of Arctic Open 2023

Men's Singles (Round of 16)

Kiran George lost to Lu Guang Zu (10-21, 20-22)

Kidambi Srikanth lost to Kanta Tsuneyama (15-21, 12-21)

Women's Singles (Round of 16)

PV Sindhu defeated Wen Chi SU (21-11, 21-10)

Aakarshi Kashyap lost to Wang Zhi Yu (12-21, 8-21)

Women's Doubles (Round of 16)

Tanisha Crasto/Ashwini Ponappa lost to Margot Lambert/ Anne Tran (16-21, 19-21)