PV Sindhu moved into the quarterfinals of the Hylo Open with a straight games win in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Thursday, beating France’s Rosy Oktavia Pancasari 21-9, 21-6 in just 26 minutes in the second round of the women’s singles. The PV Sindhu Hylo Open campaign has gathered pace since her runner up finish at the French Open, and the second seed won 42 of the 57 points played against Pancasari, restricting her opponent to 15 points across two games. The PV Sindhu Hylo Open quarterfinal will see Sindhu face Amalie Schulz in the Super 500 tournament.
The win followed a comfortable opening round for Sindhu, who beat Prakriti Bharath of the United Arab Emirates 21-10, 21-10 in 28 minutes. That result had set up the second round meeting with Pancasari, and Sindhu again took control from the start, moving through both games without allowing her opponent to build any lasting pressure. Sindhu is a double Olympic medallist and a former world champion, and she entered the tournament as the second seed in the women’s singles draw.
PV Sindhu Hylo Open second round in detail
The PV Sindhu Hylo Open second round match lasted less than half an hour, and the scoreline reflected how little time Pancasari had to settle. Sindhu won the first game 21-9 and the second 21-6, a margin that left little doubt about the result from the early stages. The 42 points Sindhu won from 57 played showed how often she finished rallies on her own terms, and Pancasari was unable to find a run of points long enough to change the shape of either game. Sindhu’s movement and shot selection kept the rallies short, and the match finished well inside the time taken by most second round matches at the tournament.
The result also kept Sindhu on course in a draw that has already seen several Indian players exit. Malvika Bansod lost to Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 11-21, 17-21 in 31 minutes, and Isharani Baruah lost to eighth seed Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt of Denmark 14-21, 19-21 in a 39 minute match. Both players had reached the second round after wins in the opening round, but neither could match the pace of their second round opponents. Their exits left Sindhu as the leading Indian hope in the women’s singles draw, with other Indian players still to play their second round matches later on Thursday.
PV Sindhu Hylo Open draw and other Indian results
The PV Sindhu Hylo Open draw also includes a strong Indian presence in the men’s singles. Lakshya Sen, India’s top ranked men’s singles player, beat compatriot Kiran George 21-15, 18-21, 21-12 in 54 minutes in an all Indian second round match, a result that put Sen into the quarterfinals. Sen had earlier come through a three game first round match against Finland’s Joakim Oldorf, winning 16-21, 21-9, 21-13 in just over an hour. Unnati Hooda, the sixth seed in the women’s singles, was due to face Denmark’s Frederikke Ostergaard later on Thursday, while Anmol Kharb was set to meet third seed Line Christophersen of Denmark.
India had five players in the women’s singles second round at the start of Thursday, with Sindhu, Bansod, Hooda, Baruah and Kharb all reaching that stage, along with two players in the men’s singles. HS Prannoy had already exited in the first round, losing to France’s sixth seed Toma Junior Popov in straight games, 21-23, 16-21. That early exit made the progress of Sindhu and Sen more important for the Indian challenge in Saarbrucken, since both are seeded players with a realistic path deep into the tournament.
PV Sindhu Hylo Open quarterfinal against Amalie Schulz
The PV Sindhu Hylo Open quarterfinal against Amalie Schulz is the next test for the second seed. Sindhu has won her two matches so far in the PV Sindhu Hylo Open run without dropping a game, and she has spent less than an hour on court in total across those two rounds. Schulz will present a different challenge from Pancasari, and the quarterfinal will show whether Sindhu can maintain the level she has shown since arriving in Germany from the French Open.
The Hylo Open is a Super 500 event on the Badminton World Federation tour, held at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrucken. The tournament has been held in the city since 1988 under earlier names, including the Bitburger Open and the SaarLorLux Open. For Sindhu, the event comes at a point in the season when ranking points and match rhythm both matter, and a quarterfinal place keeps her in contention for a title that would add to a season already marked by a French Open final. Her next match, against Schulz, will decide whether the PV Sindhu Hylo Open run continues into the semifinals.