In a disappointing development for Indian badminton, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was eliminated in the opening round of the 2023 Japan Open, marking her seventh such exit in this year’s BWF World Tour. Sindhu was defeated by China’s Zhang Yi Man, ranked just one position lower, in a match that lasted merely 32 minutes, with a score of 21-12, 21-13.
This marks Sindhu’s second consecutive loss in the opening round, following her exit from the Korea Open last week, where she was defeated by Pai Yu Po from Chinese Taipei. Zhang’s dominance over Sindhu in the Japan Open encounter makes it her third win over the Indian star in their five face-offs.
Prior to this contest, Sindhu and Zhang had battled it out twice in 2023. While Zhang secured a victory at the All England Open in March, Sindhu reclaimed her spot in the winner’s circle during the Malaysia Masters in May.
The Commonwealth Games 2022 men’s singles champion, Lakshya Sen, also advanced to the pre-quarterfinals after surviving a nail-biting three-game match against fellow Indian, Priyanshu Rajawat. Lakshya will now face Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama, who surprised everyone by defeating Indonesian world No. 2 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the opening round.
The outcome of the Japan Open games will significantly impact the players’ qualifying rankings for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. The qualification period for badminton began on May 1, earlier this year.
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