PV Sindhu's Shock Exit Marks Troubling Swiss Open Campaign

PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, was eliminated in the first round of the Swiss Open badminton tournament, continuing her challenging year on the BWF World Tour. Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth and others from India's contingent experienced mixed fortunes in the tournament, highlighting an unpredictable day for Indian players.

Two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion PV Sindhu faced a significant setback on Wednesday, bowing out of the Swiss Open in the initial round. Her defeat against Denmark's Julie Jakobsen with scores of 21-17, 21-19 in a grueling 61-minute match adds to this year's series of disappointing performances on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour.

This latest loss marks Sindhu's third consecutive first-round defeat in this year's tour. The former champion had shown promise by reaching the Indian Open quarterfinals earlier in the year but has struggled in successive tournaments, including the Indonesia Masters, All England Open, and now the Swiss Open, where she held the title in 2022.

On the men's side, Kidambi Srikanth emerged victorious against fellow Indian HS Prannoy in a hard-fought clash, finishing with a nail-biting 23-21, 23-21 win. As Srikanth advances to face China's world number six Li Shifeng, other Indian contenders like Sankar Subramanian and women singles players Anupama Upadhyaya and Isharani Baruah showcased promising performances, though some faced early exits.

(With inputs from agencies.)