New Delhi: India’s Kidambi Srikanth bowed out in the opening round of the Singapore Badminton Open 2026 on Wednesday, while HS Prannoy delivered a remarkable comeback win to keep India’s singles campaign alive at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Srikanth, currently ranked 37th in the world, went down in a hard-fought three-game battle against Singapore’s world No. 14 Loh Kean Yew. The Indian shuttler lost 22-20, 19-21, 21-17 in a match marked by sharp momentum shifts.
In contrast, Prannoy produced one of the standout performances of the day, defeating world No. 5 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 10-21, 21-12, 21-18 in a one-hour and one-minute contest, according to olympics.com.
Prannoy started slowly, trailing 11-5 at the interval of the first game as Christie dominated early exchanges. The Indian, however, shifted momentum in the second game, taking an 11-7 lead at the break before leveling the match comfortably.
The decider turned into a tense contest, with both players locked at multiple stages before Christie moved ahead 18-16. Prannoy then staged a strong finish, winning five consecutive points to complete a comeback victory and register his fourth win in 11 meetings against the Indonesian.
Another Indian shuttler, Lakshya Sen, also advanced to the second round after a straight-games win over China’s Lu Guangzu 21-17, 21-15.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod exited the competition after a three-game loss to Lin Hsiang-Ti of Chinese Taipei, going down 11-21, 21-19, 21-12.
In women’s doubles, the Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, were eliminated in the opening round after losing 21-9, 21-17 to Thailand’s Phattharin Aiamvareesrisakul and Sarisa Janpeng.
India, however, stayed in contention in mixed doubles as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto progressed after a hard-fought 21-14, 20-22, 21-13 win over Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien.
