Ace India shuttler PV Sindhu suffered a shocking defeat in the first round of the India Open Super 750 against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong on Tuesday in New Delhi. Sindhu, who entered the tournament as one of the favourites, went down 12-21 20-22 to the world No. 30 in the women’s singles match.
Supanida was very dominant in the opening game as she didn’t allow the world No. 7 Sindhu to settle. She was very precise in her returns and was in total control during the rallies to clinch the first game 21-12.
Sindhu, a former India Open champion, bounced back in the second game as she moved from 12-17 to grab one game point at 19-20. The Indian shuttler was confident to level the match in the second game and in fact, had left the court after the opponent’s return was called out. But a video referral showed that the shuttle had actually kissed the line, handing her opponent a chance to close the match and she did it in style after Sindhu went wide.
Last year, Sindhu suffered a defeat against Supanida in the semifinal round but this time it came a bit early which cut short his run in the India Open 2023.
Earlier, in the day, reigning champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also produced a clinical display to storm into the second round after beating Scotland’s Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley 21-13, 21-15 in their men’s doubles opener.
World No. 12 Lakshya Sen, seeded seventh, settled the score against world No. 9 HS Prannoy after his opening round reversal at the Malaysia Open, with a 21-14 21-15 win at the KD Jadhav Indoor hall in IG stadium.
“I could settle from the beginning, get my length and defence properly. In the Malaysia Open, I wasn’t able to control the shuttle. Today my smashes and half smashes were working," Sen said after the match.
Anup Sridhar, who has been roped in to train Sen in the Pre-Olympic year, said it is important for his ward to stick to his natural game and make a good start.
“He was a lot more confident today. We had some good sessions last week. That’s helped him. He was aggressive, attacking and taking his chances, that made the difference," Lakshya’s new coach Anup Sridhar told PTI.
(With Agency Inputs)
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