BWF World Championships 2023: PV Sindhu bows out; Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy move to pre-quarterfinals

Sindhu’s exit also ended India’s challenge in the women’s singles category.

Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy continued their rich run of form by storming into the BWF World Championships 2023 pre-quarterfinals. Both Sen and Prannoy won in straight games to march into the men’s singles round of 16. In contrast, five-time BWF World Championships medallist and 2019 champion, PV Sindhu bowed out from the second round of women’s singles after defeat to another former champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan. Sindhu suffered a straight-game defeat in just 44 minutes.

It was also end of the road for women’s doubles pair Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam as well mixed doubles pair Venkat Prasad and Juhi Dewangan. The latter exited the tournament after straight defeat against German duo Jones Ralfy Jansen/Linda Efler.

Ashwini Bhat and Shikha Gautam pushed Dutch pair Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen to the third game after an opening game loss, but succumb to a defeat by 14-21, 21-11, 14-21.

PV Sindhu and Okuhara met in what was classified as a rematch of the 2017 and 2019 championship match in the same tournament. The WR-15 Indian lead the head-to-head records between them by 9-8 before the match.

However, it was Okuhara who looked more at home as she took the first game convincingly after locking horns at 9-9. Sindhu was guilty of gifting a bunch of points through multiple unforced errors. She, however, started the second game brightly and raced to a 9-0 lead before Okuhara made an amazing comeback to take the lead for the first time at 12-12 and eventually win the match by an identical score of 21-14 in straight games.

Sindhu, 2019 world champion, couldn’t capitalize the huge lead in the second game and bowed out from the second round of BWF World Championships for the first time. Previously her worst performance in the same event was being knocked out from the quater-finals. 

Later in the day, HS Prannoy won comfortably against Indonesian Chico Dwi Wardoyo (21-9, 21-14), while Lakshya Sen also defeated Jeon Hyeok Jin (21-11, 21-12). Sen will now face a familiar foe in Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, while Prannoy will be up against seventh seed Loh Ken Yew of Singapore.

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India’s Performance on Day 2 of BWF World Championships 2023

Men’s Singles Round of 32

Lakshya Sen beat Jeon Hyeuk Jin (21-11, 21-12)

HS Prannoy beat Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (21-9, 21-14)

Women’s Singles Round of 32

PV Sindhu lost to Nozomi Okhuhara (14-21, 14-21)

Women’s Doubles Round of 64

Ashwini Bhat/Shika Gautam lost to Debora Jillie/Cheryl Seinen (14-21, 21-11, 21-14)

Mixed Doubles Round of 64

Venkat Gaurav Prasad/Juhi Dewangan lost to Jones Ralfy Jansen/Linda Efler (12-21, 11-21)

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