India’s badminton star PV Sindhu faced a disappointing exit from the Singapore Badminton Open 2024 BWF Super 750 tournament in Kallang on Thursday. In contrast, the women’s doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the quarter-finals, keeping India’s hopes alive in the tournament.
Sindhu was eliminated in the second round after a grueling three-game match against world No. 3 Carolina Marin of Spain. Sindhu lost 13-21, 21-11, 22-20 in a match that lasted one hour and eight minutes. This defeat marked Sindhu’s sixth consecutive loss against Marin, whom she last defeated in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open in 2018.
Sindhu started the match strong, asserting her dominance early and comfortably taking the first game 21-13. However, Marin, known for her tenacity, bounced back in the second game, winning it 21-11 and forcing a decider. In the third game, despite Sindhu leading 18-15 at one point, Marin clawed her way back to win 22-20, sealing Sindhu’s fate in the tournament.
This latest result extends Marin’s lead over Sindhu in their head-to-head record to 12-6. The rivalry between the two shuttlers has been intense, with their most memorable clash occurring in the final of the Rio 2016 Olympics, where Marin emerged victorious.
India’s top men’s singles player HS Prannoy also bowed out in the second round. Prannoy, ranked 10th in the world, faced a tough opponent in world No. 11 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan. Despite a valiant effort, Prannoy lost 21-13, 14-21, 21-15 in a match that lasted 78 minutes. This defeat ended Prannoy’s campaign at the Singapore Open.
Amidst the disappointments in singles, the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand provided a ray of hope for India. The duo advanced to the quarter-finals after a significant upset victory over the second seeds and reigning All England champions Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea. Treesa and Gayatri, ranked 30th in the world, triumphed 21-9, 14-21, 21-15 in a 59-minute encounter.
This victory sets up an exciting quarter-final clash against Olympic bronze medallists Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong of South Korea on Friday. The Indian pair will be looking to continue their impressive run and make further inroads in the tournament.
The Singapore Open continues to offer a mixed bag of results for Indian shuttlers. While PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy’s early exits are setbacks, the progress of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand in the women’s doubles provides a silver lining. As the competition progresses, all eyes will be on the Indian pair to see if they can continue their giant-killing run and advance further in the tournament.
