Shuttler Sindhu keeps India's medal hopes afloat, enters semis at Rio Olympics

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu produced a gritty performance under tremendous pressure as she overcame Chinese world number two Yihan Wang in straight games to reach the semifinals of the women's singles event at the Rio Olympics.

The 21-year-old lanky shuttler from Hyderabad, claimed a 22-20, 21-19 victory over Wang in a gruelling quarterfinal contest that lasted nearly an hour at Riocentro-Pavilion 4.

In the opening game, Sindhu showed tremendous resilience against the 28-year-old Wang, who dominated the proceedings from the start. The Indian shuttler subsequently held her nerves to thwart the opposition and claw back to secure the first game.

With the win, Sindhu, the two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, will now have two shots at landing a medal for India.

She will next compete against Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the semifinal on Thursday. If she loses, she will play a bronze medal play off with the loser of other semifinal.

On the other hand, Kidambi Srikanth will take on Chinese great Lin Dan in the men's singles quarterfinal later in the day.

India, who have sent their largest-ever contingent of 119 athletes in Rio Olympics, are yet to open their medal account in the ongoing Summer Games.