French Open: PV Sindhu continues to shine in Paris

The World No. 7 made short work of her opponent in the ongoing tournament.

Indian badminton stars are currently playing at the French Open 2021 in the country’s capital Paris. Several high-profile shuttlers are part of the competition from across the globe, including the Indians. The Indian shuttlers delivered a mixed performance on Day 3 as all eyes were on PV Sindhu, who is one of the favourites to win the tournament.

The two-time Olympic medalist and World No. 7 continued her brilliant run of form after her bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Sindhu was up against Line Christophersen of Denmark and defeated her 21-19, 21-9. The straight games victory takes Sindhu into the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she will face Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand. 

Elsewhere, India’s Lakshya Sen recorded an impressive win against Loh Kean Yew of Singapore. He made his way into the next round with a 21-17, 21-13 win in 40 minutes. 

Disappointing defeats for players in the singles category

Sourabh Verma could not overcome his opponent in the men’s singles and bowed out from the French Open. Kenta Nishimoto of Japan was too strong for the Indian, who won the encounter 21-12, 21-9. The straight games defeat merely lasted 37 minutes, as the match was one-way traffic.

Sameer Verma was also in action against Shesar Hiren Rhustavito. The Indonesian shuttler emerged victorious after Verma retired due to an injury. At that point, the match was tied at 16-21, 21-12 with one game apiece to both players. 

A look at the doubles action

In addition to the singles, Indian shuttlers were also involved in the doubles category. In the men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila in an all-Indian clash. The duo recorded a tough win by 15-21, 21-10, 21-19 after losing the first game and then coming back to win the match. 

There was disappointment in the mixed doubles category as the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponappa faced elimination. The Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti made their way into the next round of the French Open with a 15-21, 21-17, 21-19 win. The Indians fought valiantly, but the second-seeded opponents managed to win the encounter by the skin of their teeth. 

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