Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reach Denmark Open quarters; Kidambi Srikanth falls to Alex Lanier

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the women's doubles quarterfinals at the Denmark Open on Thursday, while Kidambi Srikanth was eliminated in the men's singles pre-quarterfinals by Alex Lanier on the same day.

The Indian women's doubles pair defeated Indonesia's Rachel Allessya and Rose Febi Setianingrum, the fifth-seeded Indonesian pair, 21-16, 21-17 in 45 minutes to move into the last eight; Treesa and Gayatri were bronze medallists at the World Championships in August in New Delhi. They will face opponents determined by the outcome of a match between Hong Kong's Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam and Malaysia's second-seeded duo of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.

Treesa and Gayatri's win came in straight games against the Indonesian fifth seeds, with the Indian duo closing out both games without extending the contest to a decider. The match length was 45 minutes, and the victory secured their place in the quarterfinals at the Denmark Open.

The Indian contingent had mixed results overall as Ashmita Chaliha was beaten 18-21, 10-21 by Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles pre-quarterfinals, ending her run in the tournament.

In the men's singles pre-quarterfinals Kidambi Srikanth, 33, challenged reigning world champion Alex Lanier but lost 11-21, 21-15, 21-15 in 66 minutes; Srikanth, who won four titles in his breakthrough 2017 season, produced strong early play. Srikanth used delicate touch and sharp net play to take the first game, building an 11-5 interval lead and closing out the opening 21-11.

Mid-match adjustments altered the contest as Lanier's coach Kestutis Navickas advised the Frenchman to reduce his dependence on the forecourt and construct rallies through attacks from the back of the court, a change that allowed Lanier to deploy his speed and attacking strengths and shift momentum. Srikanth opened the deciding game 5-2 and carried a narrow 11-9 advantage into the interval, but Lanier raised the intensity in the closing stages, using his movement and defensive resilience to neutralise Srikanth's attacking efforts and secure his spot in the quarterfinals.

With Treesa and Gayatri confirmed in the last eight and Alex Lanier advancing in the men's draw, the next confirmed developments are the women's doubles quarterfinal appearance for the Indian pair and the progression of Lanier to the men's quarterfinals; Treesa and Gayatri will now await the winners of the Hong Kong versus Malaysia second-seeded pairing to learn their quarterfinal opponents.