It was a mixed bag of sorts for the home crowd at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Day 2 of India Open 2026. PV Sindhu’s journey ended in the Round of 32. Other senior campaigners like
Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy progressed to the next round.
Malvika Bansod registered a crucial victory on her comeback after a prolonged injury lay-off, while the 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma showed signs of brilliance against the Chinese world No. 2, before going down in a thrilling match.
The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received a walkover from USA’s Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith. Other results in doubles events were disappointing.
Sindhu, who reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 event last week, lost to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh 22-20, 12-21, 15-21. This was the Indian’s third successive defeat against Nguyen.
The former world champion won the close opening game displaying strong smashes. In the second, the Vietnamese looked better prepared with her relentless and deceptive gameplay. She forced her opponent into unforced errors. Sindhu struggled in the decider, losing control mid-court and committed mistakes in front-court deception, which led to her first-round exit.
“I don’t think it was completely my day,” said Sindhu. “There were some good rallies, and she is definitely not an easy opponent. I definitely need to be more consistent, especially when I give away easy or consecutive points.”
While Sindhu’s exit left home fans disappointed, Prannoy announced his resurgence by defeating Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 22-20, 21-18. Lee was the runner-up last year.
Struggling with injuries after the 2024 Paris Olympics, Prannoy had fitness issues last year. Having come to the India Open refreshed, he played according to the situation. He saved crucial game points in the first game. In the second, he didn’t let Lee settle with his cross-court smashes and sharp returns.
In an all-Indian clash, Srikanth edged Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19. “It was a tough game and could have gone either way. One or two points here and there would have made a big difference,” said Srikanth after the match.
Making her return, the 24-year-old Malvika finally found her footing after losing in the first round in Malaysia last week. She looked in rhythm and with the crowd egging her on, she beat Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po 21-18, 21-19.
Malvika sustained a knee injury at the Indonesia Open in May 2025. It kept her out for seven months. “This win means the world to me. That’s all I can say,” said Malvika. “This has been one of the most challenging phases of my life as I was playing really well before the injury,” she recalled.
Tanvi, making her debut at a Super 750 event, came close to beating China’s Wang Zhi Yi, but went down 20-22, 21-18, 13-21. “I had nothing to lose. She’s world No. 2. I just thought I’d give my 100%. I didn’t think about winning, only about playing my best,” said a spirited Tanvi after the match.
India Results
Men’s singles: Kidambi Srikanth bt Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19; HS Prannoy bt Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hong Kong) 22-20, 21-18.
Women’s singles: Wang Zhi Yi (China) bt Tanvi Sharma 22-20, 18-21, 21-13; Thuy Linh Nguyen (Vietnam) bt PV Sindhu 20-22, 21-12, 21-15; Malvika Bansod bt Pai Yu Po (Chinese Taipei) 21-18, 21-19.
Women’s doubles: Nanako Hara/Riko Kiyose (Japan) bt Rutuparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda 21-8, 21-18; Ha Na Baek/So Hee Lee (South Korea) bt Gayatri Rawat/Mansa Rawat 21-5, 21-8.
Mixed Doubles: Pakkapol Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand) bt Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto 21-15, 21-14; Marvin Seidel/Thuc Phuong Nguyen (Germany) bt Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde 21-19, 21-14; Tyuichi Shimogami/ Sayaka Hobara (Japan) bt Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-15, 21-7.
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