Highlight:
India’s PV Sindhu starts strong at Paris 2024, defeating Maldives’ Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq 21-9, 21-6 in her opening women’s singles match.
India’s PV Sindhu made a commanding start in the women’s singles event at the Paris 2024 Olympics badminton tournament on Sunday.
In her Group M match, Sindhu, ranked 13th in the world, cruised past Maldives’ world No. 111 Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq with a scoreline of 21-9, 21-6 at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, completing the match in just 29 minutes.
The two-time Olympic medallist began with a few unforced errors but quickly gained control, surging to an 11-4 lead and eventually securing the first game. The 29-year-old Sindhu further intensified her game in the second set, leaving the 25-year-old Fathimath struggling as she wrapped up the second game and match in only 14 minutes.
“I’m happy. It was a good start,” Sindhu remarked. “I was getting used to the court, getting used to the atmosphere. It’s been three years. Again, I’m back here at the Olympics.
“This is a very special one for me because Rio 2016 was competitively very different, Tokyo 2020 was different, and this is like a mixture of both. I’m very happy to be here. It was good to play in front of the crowd and I’m really looking forward to the next match.”
In the men’s singles, the 12th-ranked HS Prannoy achieved a straight-sets victory, defeating Germany’s Fabian Roth 21-18, 21-12 in 45 minutes in his Group K match.
Both PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy will next be in action on Tuesday. Sindhu is set to face world No. 73 Kristin Kuuba of Estonia, while Prannoy will take on the 71st-ranked Le Duc Phat of Vietnam.
Indian badminton players will feature in three matches on Monday. Doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who won in straight sets on Saturday, will play against Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Mark Lamsfuss. Lakshya Sen will face Belgium’s Julien Carraggi in a crucial men’s singles match, with a chance to secure a place in the knockout stages. Additionally, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto will compete in women’s doubles.
