Parupalli Kashyap, Sameer Verma enter quarterfinals of Orleans Open

Orleans: Indian shuttlers P Kashyap and Sameer Verma entered the quarterfinals of the Orleans Open World Super 100 tournament with straight game wins in the men's singles competition here.

Fifth seed Kashyap, who clinched the Austrian Open last month, defeated Ireland's Joshua Magee 21-11 21-14, while Swiss Open champion and top seed Sameer beat local hope Thomas Rouxel 21-16 21-15 in another match played yesterday.

Kashyap, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, will face Denmark's third seed Rasmus Gemke, while Sameer takes on another local player Lucas Corvee, seeded eighth.

Kashyap, who was handed a bye in the opener, brushed aside Croatia's Zvonimir Durkinjak 21-16 21-7. Sameer, who also got a bye in the opening round, defeated Russia's Sergey Sirant in the second round.

Men's doubles pair of Francis Alwin and K Nandagopal, seeded sixth, prevailed over Poland combo of Milosz Bochat and Adam Cwalina 15-21 21-17 21-17 to also advance to the quarterfinals.

The Indian duo will face third seeded German combo of Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Emil Seidel next.

Slowly making a comeback after recovering from a year-long battle with ankle injury, R M V Gurusaidutt went down fighting 20-22 21-17 17-21 to 2015 World Champion bronze medallist Jan O Jorgensen who is also returning from a foot injury.

Another Indian Mugdha Agrey lost 11-21 9-21 to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia as Indian challenge ended in women's singles at Palais des Sports.