PV Sindhu Triumphs Over Unnati Hooda at China Open 2026 Badminton Tournament
Sindhu Advances in China Open
Changzhou [China], July 22: Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu secured a victory against fellow Indian Unnati Hooda in the first round of the China Open 2026 badminton tournament held in Changzhou, China, on Wednesday, as reported by a sports news outlet.
Coming off her recent success at the Japan Open, world No. 12 Sindhu triumphed over world No. 24 Hooda with scores of 21-14, 9-21, 21-10 in a match that lasted 58 minutes, thus advancing to the second round of the women's singles.
Last year, Hooda had eliminated Sindhu in the second round of the same tournament, making this win a significant comeback for Sindhu.
The 2016 China Open champion is set to face the home favorite and Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Chen Yufei in the round of 16. Sindhu enters this match with renewed confidence after her recent victory over the world No. 4 in the semi-finals of the Japan Open.
Currently, Sindhu is the sole Indian competitor remaining in the women's singles draw, following Devika Sihag's exit in the first round on Tuesday.
In men's singles, both Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty progressed to the second round. Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya overcame Japan's Yushi Tanaka with scores of 22-20, 15-21, 21-14, while world No. 23 Ayush achieved an upset against Malaysia's world No. 11 Alwi Faran, winning 21-17, 5-21, 21-17. HS Prannoy was eliminated from the tournament on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, India's performance in the doubles events was disappointing, with all pairs eliminated in the opening round.
In mixed doubles, Olympian Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila lost to China's world No. 6 duo Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui with scores of 21-18, 21-18. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also faced defeat in straight games against the top-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping, with scores of 21-9, 21-16.
In men's doubles, MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan were defeated by China's fourth-seeded pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, with a score of 21-16, 21-7. There were no Indian representatives in the women's doubles category.