Badminton

Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament on Wednesday, while Lakshya Sen suffered an opening-round exit.Sindhu, ranked 20th in the world, faced Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan, ranked 11th, in a one-sided first-round match. Sindhu dominated the match, winning 21-12, 21-18 in just 38 minutes. She will face Michelle Li of Canada in the next round.Sen, on the other hand, squandered a one-game advantage to lose 22-20, 17-21, 16-21 to Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao in the men's singles round of 32. The Paris Olympics semifinalist held a slim lead in the decider before Hao took control. With the score reading 17-16, both shuttlers fought tooth and nail, but Hao won the last five points in a row to emerge victorious.Sindhu started the match sluggishly, quickly falling behind 1-5. However, the Indian shuttler, who has been grappling with poor form, regained her composure with a series of clever drop shots, making a strong comeback to take a narrow 11-10 lead at the break.Having gained momentum, Sindhu extended her advantage as the eighth-seeded Busanan committed back-to-back unforced errors. Sindhu then took control, winning seven consecutive points to seal the first game with a cross-court half smash.She started the second game aggressively, racing to a 4-0 lead before the Thai shuttler registered her first point. Sindhu's dominance continued as she claimed 11 of the last 12 points, cruising to an easy victory.With the win, Sindhu extended her commanding head-to-head record over the Thai shuttler to 19-1. With the exit of Sen, Sindhu is the lone Indian in contention. The women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had also made a first-round exit on Tuesday.

Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are set to compete in the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament, eager to regain their top form after recent setbacks.Sindhu, a former world champion, has struggled to find her best form since the Paris Olympics, where she was eliminated in the quarterfinals. She reached the quarterfinals at the Denmark Open Super 750 but lost in a tense deciding game to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.Lakshya Sen, a rising star in the men's singles, has also faced early exits at the Arctic Open Super 500 and Denmark Open. Despite his impressive game, his mental resilience has been questioned after his near-miss at the Tokyo Olympics, where he slipped from a medal position in a heartbreaking loss.Despite these setbacks, both players are confident in their preparations. Sindhu has been working closely with new coaches Anup Sridhar and Korean legend Lee Syun Il, focusing on improving her speed and defense. Lakshya Sen will open against Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao, with a potential showdown against eighth seed Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the next round.The only other Indian pair in action will be the women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who will face Taipei's Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih Yun in their opening match.The Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament is a crucial event for Sindhu and Sen as they aim to regain their form and prepare for the upcoming World Championships and Asian Games.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu's impressive run at the Denmark Open came to an end in the quarterfinals, as she succumbed to a 13-21, 21-16, 9-21 defeat against Indonesia's Gregoria Tunjung. The loss marked the conclusion of India's campaign in the tournament.Tunjung, the Paris Olympics bronze medalist, displayed her dominance throughout the match, particularly in the first and third games. She controlled the pace and executed her shots with precision, leaving Sindhu struggling to keep up. Despite Sindhu's valiant effort in the second game, Tunjung's consistency proved too much to overcome.Sindhu's defeat extends a disappointing season for the two-time Olympic medalist. After returning empty-handed from the Paris Games, she has failed to secure a title in any of the subsequent tournaments she has participated in.The loss to Tunjung highlights the challenges Sindhu faces as she attempts to regain her previous form. The Indonesian shuttler has now won three of their last four encounters, demonstrating her growing threat to Sindhu's dominance in the women's singles category.Sindhu's exit from the Denmark Open leaves the tournament wide open for the remaining contenders. Top-seed An Se Young of South Korea, who defeated Sindhu in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, will face Tunjung in the semifinals.

Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen are determined to rebound from a disappointing start to their season at the USD 850,000 Denmark Open Super 750, which begins on Tuesday.Both players struggled at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland, last week. Former world champion Sindhu was eliminated in the first round, while 2021 world bronze medalist Sen lost in the second round.At Arena Fyn in Odense, they hope for better results as they lead India's challenge in this prestigious tournament, the 13th event of the 2024 BWF World Tour.Sen, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, lost a close match to Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen last week. In Odense, the 23-year-old from Almora will face China's Lu Guang Zu in his opening match, an opponent he has yet to meet in professional badminton. If he advances, Sen could face Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the second round, with reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand likely waiting for him in the quarter-finals.Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, needs to address the issues affecting her performance after a disappointing first-round loss to Canada's Michelle Li, an opponent she had previously defeated 10 times. Under the guidance of new coaches Anup Sridhar and Korea's Lee Hyun-il, she will open against Chinese Taipei's Pai Yu Po and could potentially face China's Han Yue in the second round if she progresses.In addition to Sindhu, India will have several other competitors in women's singles, including the in-form Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, and promising talent Unnati Hooda. Bansod, who reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, will face Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh at first, while Kashyap faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong. Hooda, the 2022 Odisha Open winner, will compete against Lauren Lam from the USA.While there will be no Indian representation in men's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who missed the Paris Olympics, will compete in the women's doubles, taking on the fifth-seeded Malaysian duo of Pearly Tan and Thinnah Muralitharan. The Panda sisters, Swetaparna and Rutaparna, will face off against Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tung of Chinese Taipei.In mixed doubles, the husband-wife combination of B Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy are set to face Canada's Kevin Lee and Eliana Zhang, while Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath will take on Indonesia's Rehan Kusharjanto and Lisa Kusumawati.

PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, India's star shuttlers, will spearhead the Indian contingent at the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament in Vantaa, Finland, starting on Tuesday. The tournament marks their first international outing since the Paris Olympics, where they failed to secure any medals.Sindhu and Sen are eager to regain their momentum on the international stage. They have reassessed their performances and made changes to their training regimes. Sindhu has appointed Anup Sridhar and Korean legend Lee Syun Il as her new coaches, while Sen has spent time at the Red Bull Arena in Austria for physical assessment.In the opening round, Sindhu will face familiar rival Michelle Li of Canada, while Sen will compete against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. Sindhu is favored to overcome Li and could face Japanese sensation Tomako Miyazaki in the next round. For Sen, it's a chance for revenge against Gemke, who defeated him at the India Open earlier this year.Kidambi Srikanth, returning to action after a four-month injury layoff, will compete in the qualifiers alongside Kiran George and Sathish Kumar Karunakaran. In women's singles, Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap will also be in contention.In women's doubles, Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will represent India, while Sathish will partner with Aadya Variyath in mixed doubles.The Indian shuttlers will be looking to make a strong start to their season and build momentum towards the upcoming major tournaments, including the World Championships and the Asian Games.

PV Sindhu's Olympic journey came to an end in the pre-quarterfinals, as she succumbed to China's He Bing Jiao in a hard-fought match. Despite her meticulous preparations, Sindhu admitted that her defense proved to be her Achilles' heel.Sindhu's training regimen included a camp in Germany and collaboration with her mentor, Prakash Padukone. However, she acknowledged that the outcome was ultimately beyond her control. "We've done whatever we could. Rest is destiny. I don't regret it," she said.Throughout the match, Sindhu displayed moments of brilliance, dictating points with her powerful smashes. However, Bing Jiao's superior defense and relentless attack proved too much to overcome. "I should have controlled in terms of a little bit of mistakes on my defense," Sindhu reflected.The first game was a nail-biter, with both players locked at 19-19. Sindhu lamented her inability to convert that crucial point, believing it could have altered the course of the match. "It's sad that I couldn't convert it to win, especially in the first game," she said.In the second game, Sindhu attempted to unsettle Bing Jiao with smashes, but her opponent's defense remained impenetrable. "Her defense was really good today. She was taking everything," Sindhu said.Despite the disappointment, Sindhu remained philosophical about her performance. "It's been a wonderful journey so far. There were ups and downs, and I came back from an injury," she said. "You can't expect easy wins or picking the form at the right time. Sometimes it might not be your day."When asked about her plans for the next Olympics, Sindhu remained non-committal. "It's still four years away. So for me, right now, I just go back and rest for a bit, maybe just take some break and then come back and let's see what it is," she said.

PV Sindhu, India's badminton queen, is poised to make history once again as she enters the Round of 16 in the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics 2024. Her opponent, China's He Bingjiao, is a formidable foe, but Sindhu has a proven track record of success against her.In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu defeated He Bingjiao in the bronze medal match, securing her second Olympic medal. This time around, Sindhu is ranked 13th in the world, while He Bingjiao is ranked ninth. However, Sindhu's recent form has been impressive, as she won both of her group games to progress to the knockout stage.The match between Sindhu and He Bingjiao is expected to be a close and intense battle. Sindhu's powerful smashes and quick reflexes will be put to the test against He Bingjiao's agility and tactical play. The winner of this match will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the match between Japan's Akane Yamaguchi and Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon.Sindhu's journey to the Olympics has been marked by hard work, dedication, and unwavering determination. She has overcome numerous challenges and setbacks to become one of the most successful badminton players in the world. Her performance in the Round of 16 will be a testament to her resilience and her unwavering pursuit of excellence.The match between PV Sindhu and He Bingjiao will take place on Thursday, August 1 (IST) at 10:00 PM IST. It will be telecast live on the Sports18 network and live streamed on the JioCinema app.

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu kicked off her Paris Olympics campaign with a dominant straight-games victory over Maldives' Fathimath Abdul Razzaq in the women's singles group stage match on Sunday.The gulf in class between the two players was evident as Sindhu, aiming for a third Olympic medal, dispatched her lower-ranked opponent 21-9, 21-6 in just 29 minutes.Sindhu, ranked 11th in the world, quickly assessed the conditions and took control of the proceedings, racing to an 11-4 lead in the first game. Razzaq, ranked 111th, proved no match for the former world champion, who wrapped up the first game in a mere 13 minutes.The second game followed a similar pattern, with Sindhu claiming the first four points to take an early lead. Razzaq briefly closed the gap to 3-4, but Sindhu quickly extended her advantage to 10-3.Sindhu had 14 match points, but she needed only one to seal the victory. The 10th-seeded Indian, who won silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2020, will face World No. 75 Kristin Kuuba of Estonia in her second group match on Wednesday.Earlier on Saturday, medal contenders Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also made a winning start in the men's doubles, while singles ace Lakshya Sen got his maiden Olympic campaign underway with a victory. However, the women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto lost to South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong.

PV Sindhu and Achanta Sharath Kamal will lead India's contingent of 78 athletes and officials at the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Friday. The Indian contingent will be part of the Athletes' Parade, which will feature over 10,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs).The Indian contingent includes athletes from 12 disciplines, including shooting, badminton, table tennis, rowing, archery, and hockey. However, some athletes, such as rower Balraj Panwar and members of the air rifle and air pistol teams, have been exempted from participating in the Parade due to their competition schedules.India will begin its Olympic campaign on Saturday with competitions in shooting, badminton, table tennis, rowing, archery, and hockey. Athletes from these disciplines who are available will participate in the Parade.Among the prominent athletes who will be part of the Parade are:* Archery: Deepika Kumari and Tarundeep Rai* Badminton: PV Sindhu* Boxing: Lovlina Borgohain* Equestrian: Anush Agarwalla* Golf: Shubhankar Sharma* Hockey: Krishan Pathak, Nilakanta Sharma, and Jugraj Singh* Judo: Tulika Mann* Sailing: Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan* Shooting: Anjum Moudgil, Sift Kaur Samra, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Anish* Swimming: Srihari Nataraj, Dhinidhi Desinghu* Table Tennis: Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra* Tennis: Rohan Bopanna, Sumit Nagal, and Sriram BalajiThe Opening Ceremony will be held along the Seine River, with athlete barges floating down the river starting at the Austerlitz Bridge. The barges will pass under historic bridges and by iconic landmarks such as Notre Dame and the Louvre.