Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought through a tough opening-round challenge to advance to the second round of the Indonesia Open, while former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth suffered an early exit from the prestigious Super 1000 badminton tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Sindhu, the former world champion, was pushed hard by Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in a closely contested women’s singles round-of-32 clash before emerging victorious 25-23, 21-16 in 51 minutes. The Indian star had to dig deep, particularly in the opening game, where both players traded points in an intense battle marked by long rallies and aggressive shot-making.
The first game remained evenly poised throughout, with Busanan matching Sindhu point for point and forcing the Indian to save crucial situations. However, Sindhu relied on her experience and attacking instincts at key moments to edge the thriller 25-23. Having secured the opening game, she gained confidence and momentum, taking greater control of the rallies in the second game.
Sindhu continued to dictate play with her powerful smashes and improved court coverage, gradually wearing down her Thai opponent. She eventually closed out the second game 21-16 to complete a straight-games victory and book her place in the next round.
The win comes as a positive boost for Sindhu, who has been looking to regain consistency on the international circuit. However, she now faces the prospect of a daunting second-round encounter against reigning Olympic champion and current world No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea. Sindhu had lost to An in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open last week and has yet to register a victory against the Korean superstar, trailing 0-9 in their head-to-head record.
While Sindhu progressed, it was a disappointing outing for Srikanth, whose campaign ended in the very first round. The former world championships silver medallist went down 19-21, 15-21 to Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in a match that lasted just over 40 minutes.
Srikanth showed flashes of his attacking game in the opening stages and stayed competitive throughout the first game. However, he struggled to maintain momentum against the disciplined Japanese player, who remained consistent from the baseline and capitalised on crucial errors from the Indian. After narrowly taking the first game, Tanaka carried his confidence into the second and controlled proceedings to seal the match in straight games.
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India’s women’s singles challenge also suffered another setback as Malvika Bansod crashed out in the opening round. The young Indian shuttler was comprehensively beaten by seventh seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand, who produced a dominant display to secure a 21-12, 21-10 victory.
Chochuwong controlled the pace of the contest from the outset, using her superior movement and precision to keep Bansod under constant pressure. The Thai player gave her opponent little opportunity to settle into the match and wrapped up the contest comfortably in just two games.
There was better news for India in the doubles competition, where the men’s doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun delivered an impressive performance to move into the second round. The Indian duo defeated the higher-ranked Malaysian pair of Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong 21-18, 21-10. After a competitive opening game, Hariharan and Arjun raised their level significantly in the second, dominating the rallies and showcasing excellent coordination at the net. Their convincing victory over a more experienced Malaysian combination underlined their growing confidence on the international stage.
Several Indian players were also scheduled to begin their campaigns later in the day. The women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, men’s singles player Lakshya Sen, and the mixed doubles duo of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were all set to take the court as India looked to strengthen its presence in the latter stages of the tournament.
With Sindhu carrying India’s hopes in the women’s singles draw and several doubles pairs showing encouraging form, Indian badminton fans will be hoping for more positive results as the Indonesia Open progresses through its early rounds.
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