PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty Shine at French Open 2026 Badminton Tournament

Sindhu Advances After Thrilling Match

In a gripping encounter at the French Open 2026 badminton tournament held in Paris, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought hard to secure her spot in the second round of the women's singles. On Wednesday, she faced Thailand's Supanida Katethong, winning with scores of 21-14, 8-21, and 23-21 after a challenging 64-minute match at the Arena Grand Paris.

Sindhu, who is currently ranked 10th in the world, seemed to be on her way to an easy victory when she established a significant 19-8 lead in the final game. However, Katethong mounted an impressive comeback, scoring 11 consecutive points to level the match at 19-19, putting Sindhu under pressure.

Despite the challenge, Sindhu regained her composure and clinched the game 23-21, marking her sixth victory against Katethong in their ten encounters. Next, she will compete against Japan's Riko Gunji, who triumphed over India's Unnati Hooda in another first-round match.

Ayush Shetty's Remarkable Comeback

In another exciting match, Ayush Shetty showcased his resilience by overcoming former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth. After dropping the first game 19-21, Ayush bounced back to win the next two games 21-16 and 21-12, advancing to the men's singles second round.

Following a closely contested opening game, Ayush leveled the match in the second. Although Srikanth initially led in the deciding game, Ayush turned the tide, taking a lead of 11-9 at the mid-game interval. He maintained his momentum, scoring seven consecutive points after leading 14-12 to secure the match.

Ayush's next opponent will be Japan's sixth seed Kodai Naraoka, who progressed after India's Lakshya Sen withdrew from their scheduled match.

Other Matches and Results

In the women's singles, Devika Sihag put up a strong fight against Indonesia's fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani, ultimately losing 21-9, 16-21, 22-20 after three games.

In women's doubles, the duo of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda faced a tough challenge, exiting the tournament after a loss to Japan's Ririna Hiramoto and Chiharu Shida with scores of 21-6, 21-11.

Earlier in the tournament, the Indian men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with the women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, were eliminated in the first round. However, Tanvi Sharma and Ashmita Chaliha successfully advanced to the second round of women's singles.