New Zealand Open: Arvind and Sourabh move into pre-quarters

India’s Arvind Bhat and Sourabh Varma entered the pre-quarterfinals of New Zealand Open badminton championship with straight-game victories in the men’s singles.

World No. 65 Arvind defeated Hsu Jui Ting of Chinese Taipei 21-17, 25-23 in 37 minutes and will meet Malaysia’s Tang Jie Chen next.

Sourabh thrashed New Zealand’s Dylan Henton 21-11, 21-12 will take on 14th seed Kuei Chun Shih of Chinese Taipei next.

The results:

Second round: Arvind Bhat bt Hsu Jui Ting (Taipei) 21-17, 25-23; Sourabh Varma bt Dylan Henton (New Zealand) 21-11, 21-12. — PTI