Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the Arctic Open quarterfinals with a 21-15, 21-15 victory over Japan’s Riko Gunji in Vantaa, Finland, on Thursday.
The sixth-seeded Indian will face top seed and former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the last eight. Intanon leads their head-to-head record 9-4 and has won their last five meetings, with their most recent clash coming at the 2022 Indonesia Masters.
Sindhu will draw confidence from her strong 2026 season, highlighted by winning the Japan Open Super 750 title in July after defeating reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the final. Intanon reached the quarterfinals by beating India’s Tanvi Sharma 21-18, 21-7.
Tanvi pushed the Thai in the opening game before Intanon took control in the second. Meanwhile, India’s men’s singles campaign ended after Tharun Mannepalli lost 21-14, 21-19 to France’s second seed Christo Popov.
Tharun’s exit followed first-round defeats for Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Rounak Chouhan.