World Championship: Sindhu makes confident start with win over Nalbantova

Paris, Aug 26 (IANS) Former champion PV Sindhu began her campaign at the BWF World Championships 2025 with a confident Round-of-64 victory over Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova, 23-21, 21-6 in just 39 minutes here on Tuesday.

Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, who is one of the few players in the history of the sport to have won a full set of medals in the World Championships with one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, is India's biggest hope for a title in Paris.

Playing at the Adidas Arena, which hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics, the 30-year-old Sindhu started well and quelled her opponent with confident play.

The opening game was a tight battle, with scores tied at 21-all before Sindhu, who won a silver in the 2016 Olympics in Rio and followed that up with a bronze in Tokyo, closed it out with a two-point edge.

The 2019 women’s singles champion cruised through the second game, producing a commanding performance to seal the match with a 15-point margin. Sindhu will next face Malaysia's Karupathevan Letshanaa in the Round of 32.

In the Paris Olympics, Sindhu lost in the Round of 16 to He Bingjiao of China, the same player she had beaten in the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match.

Meanwhile, India's campaign in the men's singles got off on a poor note with Lakshya Sen making an early exit. Sen’s poor run continued on Monday as he lost in straight sets against World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China.

Sen’s battle lasted a total of 54 minutes as he succumbed to a 17-21, 19-21 defeat, bringing an end to another disappointing campaign at the tournament, after having previously won the bronze medal in 2021. H.S. Prannoy will be playing his first match later on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Indian men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are scheduled to face the formidable pair of P.H. Yang and K. Liu in a first-round match-up on Wednesday.

This match promises to be a thrilling contest as both pairs are known for their aggressive play and strong court presence.

--IANS

bsk/