Hyderabad shutter Srikanth Kidambi entered the quarter-finals of the Japan Open in Tokyo after his opponent Ajay Jayaram withdrew from their round of 16 match on Thursday following an ankle injury. Kidambi is the lone Indian at the quarter-final stage after HS Prannoy was downed by Denmark's Viktor Axelsen.
Jayaram retired from his duel with Kidambi after the latter won the first game 21-16. After the game, Jayaram confirmed that he would be fit in time to play for the upcoming Korea Open after a few days of rest.
Prannoy and second seed, Axelsen played a hard-fought game with the Indian shuttler losing 16-21, 19-21 in a match that lasted a quarter of an hour. Kidami, India's highest ranked men's singles player, will now face Germany's Marc Zwiebler in the last eight.