Tokyo 2020: Sindhu, Deepika and Pooja advance in a day of hope for India

Day 5 of the Tokyo Olympics turned out to be a fruitful one for the Indian contingent. While there were no medals at stake, three contenders inched closer to their target of securing another medal for the country. It all started with ace shuttler PV Sindhu beating world No. 34 Cheung 21-9 21-16 in a 35-minute match to top her group and make it to the pre-quarters of the women's singles badminton event. Sindhu will take on Denmark's world number 12 Mia Blichfeldt, for place in the last 8. The day became better when boxer Pooja Rani out-punched Algeria's Ichrak Chaib in her opening bout to enter the quarterfinals of her maiden Olympic Games. She is now just one win away from ensuring a bronze medal for India. Pooja clinched the women's middleweight division bout (75kg), 5-0, thoroughly dominating a rival 10 years her junior. Finally, archer Deepika Kumari also entered the pre-quarterfinals of the women's individual event. She beat Bhutan's Bhu Karma in the 1/32 elimination round before edging out American Mucino-Fernandez in a close 1/16 elimination match.