The French Open Super 750 badminton tournament witnessed a mixed bag of results for Indian shuttlers. PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round with thrilling victories, while HS Prannoy bowed out in the opening round.

PV Sindhu & Srikanth dominate their first round

Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, made a triumphant return to the BWF Circuit after an injury-induced break. She secured a remarkable come-from-behind win against Michelle Li of Canada in her first-round match.

Sindhu, who is playing only her second tournament since returning from a knee injury, managed to eke out a come-from-behind 20-22, 22-20, 21-19 win in a riveting opening round match that lasted an hour and 20 minutes. She will next play world No. 10 USA’s Beiwen Zhang.

Kidambi Srikanth, too, progressed to the men’s singles second round with a stunning win over Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen. The World No. 24 Srikanth, who is racing against time to qualify for the Paris Olympics, outwitted 14th-ranked Chen 21-15, 20-22, 21-8 in a 66-minute opening-round match for his third win over the Taiwanese shuttler in seven meetings.

HS Prannoy stunned in the opening round

However, the tournament was not as kind to HS Prannoy, as the Indian top seed lost to China’s World No. 17 Lu Guang Zu in straight games. Prannoy started well in the first game and took an early lead but Guang Zu never left sight of a comeback and kept Prannoy on the toes. From 17-17, Guang took four straight points to win the first game.

In the second game, Prannoy was always chasing after falling behind early in the game. The rallies started getting fierce as the duo produced some sensational saves displaying great reflexes, but Guang Zu was a tad sharper and alert as he soon led 19-15 with Prannoy now struggling to get a grip on the fast-paced rallies.

The Indian did win three straight points to keep hopes alive before the Chinese grabbed three match points with a smash on his forehand and sealed it with another precise return on the forecourt.

The French Open Super 750 has thus far been a tournament of highs and lows for the Indian contingent. While Sindhu and Srikanth’s victories have given fans much to cheer about, Prannoy’s exit has been a disappointment. As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on Sindhu and Srikanth, with hopes riding high on their performances.

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