Saarbrucken (Germany): P V Sindhu and Anmol Kharb set up an all-Indian women's singles semifinal clash at the Hylo Open Super 500 badminton tournament, while Lakshya Sen also entered the men's singles last four stage with a come-from-behind win here on Friday.
Double Olympic medallist Sindhu continued her impressive run after finishing runner-up at the French Open, cruising past Germany's Amalie Schulz 21-12, 21-10 in just 28 minutes. The former world champion was in complete control throughout the contest, winning 42 of the 64 points played. She took the opening game 21-12 before producing another dominant display in the second to seal the match.
Sindhu will next face compatriot Anmol, who knocked out country woman and sixth seed Unnati Hooda in a hard-fought three-game contest. Anmol prevailed 21-17, 18-21, 21-16 in a match lasting one hour and eight minutes.
The semifinal clash will ensure an Indian finalist in the women's singles event, with both Sindhu and Anmol now one win away from the title round. In men's singles, Sen also entered the semifinals after recovering from a game down to beat Finland's Kalle Koljonen in the quarterfinals. The former World Championships bronze medallist and top-ranked Indian prevailed 14-21, 21-17, 21-13 in a contest lasting one hour and six minutes.
After dropping the opening game, Lakshya raised his level to take the next two games and seal the victory. Sen will face Toma Junior Popov of France in the semi-final.