Singapore Open 2023 | KIdambi Srikanth progresses, PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy ousted
India's star shuttler PV Sindhu exited the Singapore Open 750 in the first round itself, as she lost to world no. 1 Akane Yamaguchi in three games 21-18, 19-21, 17-21. This also means that the world no. 13 Sindhu will further drop in rankings, as she is the defending champ here in Singapore.
Sindhu has been out of sorts ever since she made a comeback on the circuit after an ankle injury. This could cost her dear as the qualification for the 2024 Olympics has already begun, and each tournament she participates in is of utmost importance. In the match against Yamaguchi, even though she started well, and won the first game, she could not keep up the momentum.
The world no. 8 HS Prannoy also lost his first-round match against Japan's Kodai Naraoka. The Indian lost 15-21 19-21 to the third-seeded Japanese in 56 minutes. This was his first tournament after winning Malaysia Masters. On the other hand, Kidambi Srikanth made a winning start against Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen 21-15 21-19 in the opening round.
He will meet either Japan's Kenta Nishimoto or Chinese Taipei's Chia Hao Lee next. The men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also won their match against France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar 21-16 21-15.