Rankireddy and Shetty reach HK Open quarterfinals, others advance

India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open Super 500 on Thursday, while a mixed set of results in singles left hopes alive for several Indian shuttlers at the tournament being held this week at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon. Rankireddy and Shetty rallied from a game down to beat Thailand's Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 in a 63-minute second-round match and will next meet Malaysians Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap.

The eighth-seeded Indian duo had opened their campaign on Wednesday with a three-game win over Chinese Taipei's Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi Lin, prevailing 21-13, 18-21, 21-10. Observers noted the pair's trademark net control and heavy smashes as decisive in both victories, particularly after they conceded the second games in each match before reasserting dominance in the deciders.

In men's singles, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy both recorded wins to move into the latter stages. Sen overcame Chinese Taipei's Wang Tzu-Wei in a hard-fought contest, prevailing 22-20, 16-21, 21-15. Prannoy, ranked 34th, upset 14th-ranked Lu Guangzu of China 21-17, 21-14...