Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu took a combined 61 minutes to finish their matches on a day when a lot of contests went to three games, with Anders Antonsen and Nhat Nguyen engaging in a 102-minute battle.It was in the best interests of the two Indian star shuttlers to have short matches, given the opponents they will be facing in the next round of the Badminton World Championships.Sindhu – who defeated Wen Yu Zhang of Canada 21-16, 21-17 – will be up against World No.3 Wang Zhi Yi. The Chinese leads the head-to-head 5-3 and has won their last three meetings. However, Sindhu prevailed when they met at last year’s World Championships.“It will be difficult. When we are playing top athletes, we can’t expect easy matches or easy points,” Sindhu said after her match on Wednesday. “We know each other’s games. I need to play my game and give my best.”Sindhu, who recently won the Japan Open Super 750 title, has an 8-0 record against Chinese shuttlers at the World Championships.“Pressure will always be there. Expectations will always be there. In such a game, one needs to be adaptable to the conditions. If one plan is not working, go for the other one and make a comeback,” she said.The conditions at the Indira Gandhi stadium have been tricky this week but Sindhu will have the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd.Story continues below this ad“Today, I felt the court was different from the first day. According to my understanding, there were some unforced errors where I was hitting side-outs. That’s what I felt. Going into tomorrow’s match, I need to focus on playing my best, playing a safe game and being consistent,” the double Olympic medallist explained.During the pre-tournament interaction, Wang had said that familiarity with Sindhu’s game will be helpful for her if the two faced off.“She is coming on the back of the Japan Open win and we have shared many duels in the past. I know her game and will just focus on being better than her,” the Chinese had said.Wang also had an easy encounter as she defeated Letshanaa Karupathevan of Malaysia 21-16, 21-9 in 42 minutes.Story continues below this adWith Unnati Hooda losing to Michelle Li 21-11, 9-21, 21-23, Sindhu remains the only Indian left in the women’s singles draw. Ayush Shetty will face 11th seed Alwi Farhan of Indonesia and it is not going to be an easy outing for him. (PTI Photo)Ayush, who stunned World No.1 Shi Yuqi of China in the first round, wrapped up his match against Dumindu Abeywickrama of Sri Lanka 21-8, 21-10 in 26 minutes.“It was a breather as compared to the previous game. I have played him in the past, so I just wanted to test some of my shots,” Ayush said after his win.In the next round, he will face 11th seed Alwi Farhan of Indonesia and it is not going to be an easy outing for him.Story continues below this adThe duo have come up against each other four times at the senior level and the head-to-head is tied at 2-2.“I have played Alwi in the past and we are familiar with each other’s games. It is not going to be easy for me. I am counting on my confidence and the crowd’s support,” the Indian said.The two last met at the China Open Super 1000, with Ayush coming out on top. However, ranked 12 in the world, Alwi is one of the best Indonesian shuttlers in recent times and his stock is rising with consistent performance at the elite level.