Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu showcased her resilience and experience as she bounced back from a string of early exits to overcome sixth seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan 21-15, 8-21, 21-17, securing a place in the Round of 16 at the prestigious China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament.
Sindhu came out firing in the first game, rattling off seven consecutive points to race to a 13-5 lead. Miyazaki answered fiercely in the second game, stringing together nine points to shift momentum and level the match. But Sindhu held her nerve in the decider, maintaining a steady lead throughout the 62-minute contest.
Ranked No. 15 in the world, Sindhu had previously fallen to Miyazaki at the Swiss Open last year. Her victory today marks a crucial turnaround following a disappointing early exit last week at the Japan Open and several first or second-round losses across major tournaments this season.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty breezed past the Japanese pairing of Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura 21-13, 21-9 in just over 30 minutes. The Indian duo controlled the tempo from start to finish, never allowing their opponents to find rhythm.
The former world No. 1 pair, who have consistently reached semifinals at the Malaysia Open, India Open, and Singapore Open this season, are now focused on breaking their semifinal ceiling and chasing the title.
India’s promising performance at the China Open continues to energise the badminton scene, with fans hoping the momentum leads to a podium finish.
