Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth enters Rio Olympics quarter-finals

Rio de Janeiro: 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.