Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu made a confident start to her Singapore Open 2025 campaign, defeating Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang in straight games on Tuesday. Sindhu took just 31 minutes to seal the match 21-14, 21-9 and move into the second round of the prestigious Super 750 tournament.
Next challenge: World No.5 Chen Yu Fei
The road ahead won’t be easy for PV Sindhu, as she will face Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and world No.5 Chen Yu Fei of China in the second round. Sindhu and Chen have had a long-standing rivalry, and this will be a high-stakes battle for a place in the quarterfinals.
A disappointing day for other Indian shuttlers
While PV Sindhu advanced, it was a tough outing for the rest of the Indian contingent, as multiple players bowed out in the opening round.
- Malvika Bansod lost despite winning the first game. She fell 21-14, 18-21, 11-21 to Thailand’s Supanida Katethong (8th seed).
- Priyanshu Rajawat also couldn’t hold his lead, losing to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka (7th seed) 21-14, 10-21, 14-21 in a match that lasted over an hour.
- Anmol Kharb showed fighting spirit but was outclassed by Chen Yu Fei 11-21, 22-24.
- Kiran George, who earlier reached the India Open quarters, lost 19-21, 17-21 to China’s Weng Hong Yang.
- R. Santhosh Ramraj went down in straight games against South Korea’s Kim Ga Eun, 14-21, 8-21.
Mixed doubles teams also exit early
The Indian mixed doubles pairs couldn’t make a mark either:
- Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost 18-21, 13-21 to China’s Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi.
- Ashith Surya and Amrutha Parmuthesh bowed out after losing 11-21, 17-21 to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.
