Shuttler Srikanth enters Olympics quarters

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth edged past Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in his round-of-16 match at the Olympics here on Monday.

World No.11 Srikanth defeated World No.5 Jorgensen 21-19, 21-19 in 42 minutes at Rio Centrio here.

This was the 23-year-old Indian's second win over the European champion in four matches.

In a hard-fought first game, both shuttlers started on a attacking note but it was Srikanth who managed to maintain the lead with some body-line smashes.

Jorgensen, bronze medallist in the 2014 World Championships, gave a tough fight at the end but it was the Guntur lad who proved superior and clinched the first game 21-19.

In the second game, the Denmark player upped the ante and played a disciplined game to maintain the lead from the start.

But the second game was an example of Srikanth's tenacity and patience. By virtue of his exceptional defensive skills, the Dane managed to stay in touch with the Indian.

After the mid-game interval Jorgensen turned the tables and did not allow Srikanth to dominate.

But with some swift court movements, the Indian diminished the lead to stay at 17-17 and then took one-point lead to make 19-18 before wrapping up the game to advance into the quarter-finals.

Srikanth had entered the pre-quarterfinals after topping the Group H.

In the quarter-finals, Srikanth will face an enormous task of beating two-time defending champion and five-time world champion Lin Dan of China.

Later in the day, P.V. Sindhu will face Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei for a place in the women's singles quarter-finals.

--IANS

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