PV Sindhu beat Thailand’s Supanida Katethong 21-14, 8-21, 23-21 in a one-hour, four-minute French Open thriller in Paris on Wednesday. Unnati Hooda lost a three-game battle to Riko Gunji, the Panda sisters went out in straight games, and Lakshya Sen’s match was recorded as a walkover.
Paris, France: Sindhu has built a career on matches that look lost and then are not, and the opening round of the French Open Super 750 gave her another. She dropped a game by 13 points, regrouped and finished on the right side of a two-point decider.
A fast start, a flat middle
Sindhu took the opening game 21-14, controlling the rallies against Katethong, who is ranked 26th in the world. The second game turned sharply. Katethong won it 21-8, levelled the match and left Sindhu in a decider she has faced many times before.
A decider decided by two points
The third game went to the wire. Sindhu closed it out 23-21, ending a contest that lasted one hour and four minutes and moving past the women’s singles round of 32. The win kept an Indian presence in the women’s draw a day after Tanvi Sharma and Ashmita Chaliha reached the last 16.
Exits for Hooda and the Pandas
Unnati Hooda could not find the same late edge. She forced a decider by taking the second game 21-12, but Japan’s Riko Gunji won the third 21-17 and took the match 21-18, 12-21, 21-17 in one hour and eight minutes. Rutaparna and Swetaparna Panda had a shorter afternoon in the women’s doubles, losing 21-6, 21-11 to Japan’s Ririna Hiramoto and Chiharu Shida in 32 minutes.
Lakshya Sen’s opening match in the men’s singles, against sixth seed Kodai Naraoka, was listed as a walkover on the official results page, and no match was played.
Where India stands in Paris
The tournament began badly for India on Tuesday, when Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost to the Popov brothers. Sindhu has been in this position before this season. At the BWF World Championships in New Delhi in August, she reached the round of 16 by beating Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17. Her task in Paris is to turn a narrow escape into a deeper run.
Women’s singles, round of 32: PV Sindhu (India) beat Supanida Katethong (Thailand) 21-14, 8-21, 23-21 (1h 04m)
Also on Wednesday: Riko Gunji (Japan) beat Unnati Hooda 21-18, 12-21, 21-17; Ririna Hiramoto/Chiharu Shida (Japan) beat Rutaparna/Swetaparna Panda 21-6, 21-11; Lakshya Sen v Kodai Naraoka listed as a walkover
