Hylo Open: Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu Storm Into Quarters; Anmol Kharb Stuns Third Seed
Indian shuttlers advance at the Hylo Open Super 500 in Saarbrücken.
Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu reached the Hylo Open 2026 quarterfinals in Germany. Anmol Kharb beat third seed Line Christophersen in an all-Indian upset.
Key takeaways
- Lakshya Sen beat Kiran George 21-15, 18-21, 21-12 in 54 minutes.
- PV Sindhu defeated Rosy Oktavia Pancasari 21-9, 21-6 in 26 minutes.
- Anmol Kharb stunned Line Christophersen 11-21, 21-18, 25-23 in 63 minutes.
- Malvika Bansod and Isharani Baruah lost in the Round of 16.
Indian badminton stars Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals of the Hylo Open 2026 in Germany on Thursday night. Sindhu, the second seed, defeated France's Rosy Oktavia Pancasari 21-9, 21-6 in just 26 minutes.
Seventh seed Lakshya Sen, ranked 14th globally, triumphed over fellow Indian Kiran George 21-15, 18-21, 21-12 in a 54-minute all-Indian men's singles encounter.
In a significant upset, young Indian shuttler Anmol Kharb stunned third seed Line Christophersen of Denmark 11-21, 21-18, 25-23 in a grueling 63-minute match after losing the first game.
However, compatriots Malvika Bansod and Isharani Baruah bowed out of the competition after their respective Round of 16 defeats.
What happens next
Sindhu will next face Denmark's Amalie Schulz in the quarterfinals. Sen will next face Finland's Kalle Koljonen for a place in the semifinals. Kharb will now face fellow Indian Unnati Hooda, who also advanced by defeating Frederikke Ostergaard.
Tournament and player context
The Hylo Open is a Super 500 badminton tournament held at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken, Germany.
The tournament, formerly known as the BMW Badminton Cup, BMW Open International, Bitburger Masters, Bitburger Open and SaarLorLux Open, has been held since 1988 and has been sponsored by Saarbrücken-based eye lubrication company Hylo since 2021.
Sindhu is a two-time Olympic medallist and the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion. She rose to a career-high world ranking of No. 2 in April 2017.
Sen won bronze at the World Championships and gold at the Commonwealth Games, and competed in the men's singles event at the 2024 Olympics, where he finished fourth after narrowly losing the bronze medal match.
Sen's victory over George marked his eighth win in nine meetings against his compatriot, making him India's sole representative in the men's singles draw. Malvika Bansod lost 11-21, 17-21 to Canada's Wen Yu Zhang.
Isharani Baruah exited after going down 14-21, 19-21 to Denmark's Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt.
Round of 16 results for Indian players
Player | Opponent | Score | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
Lakshya Sen | Kiran George | 21-15, 18-21, 21-12 | 54 minutes |
PV Sindhu | Rosy Oktavia Pancasari | 21-9, 21-6 | 26 minutes |
Anmol Kharb | Line Christophersen | 11-21, 21-18, 25-23 | 63 minutes |
Malvika Bansod | Wen Yu Zhang | 11-21, 17-21 | not stated |
Isharani Baruah | Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt | 14-21, 19-21 | not stated |
Related on Apex Sports News
Hylo Open 2026: Sindhu and Lakshya Sen lead Indian challenge
Hylo Open 2026 badminton: PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen cruise into second round
PV Sindhu finishes runner-up at French Open after loss to An Se-young
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