India’s best badminton player PV Sindhu lost in the first round of the Arctic Open 2024. The 29-year-old who was making a comeback in to the court after a gap of two months, first time after Paris Olympics, looked totally out of form again Canada’s Michelle Li. The Indian lost in straight games 21-16, 21-10 without putting up a fight.
PV Sindhu Handed Defeat in Arctic Open
This comes as a big blow to Sindhu, who roped in two new coaches — Anup Sridhar and South Korean former World No. 1 Lee Hyun Il. Right from the start of the match, things didn’t go as planned for the Hyderabadi, who returned without a medal in Paris Olympics.
In the first game, Li first raced to an 11-4 lead and then closed the game at 21-16. The second game was even more convincing by the Canadian shuttler, as she gave no room to Sindhu, to make a comeback.
Malvika Bansod Continues Rise
But southpaw Malvika Bansod managed to script another upset of sorts, as she got the better of Chinese Taipei’s Sun SY 21-19, 24-22. While Malvika is ranked 37th in the world, Sun is the World No. 23. At the China Open last month, the youngster had managed to reach the quarters, beating Paris Olympics bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. Thereafter, she also got the better of Kirsty Gimour of Scotland.