New Delhi: Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth made impressive starts to their campaigns at the Thailand Open on Wednesday after registering convincing victories in the opening round in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sixth-seeded Sindhu defeated Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong 21-9, 21-12 in straight games to storm into the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s singles event. The Indian ace dominated the match from the beginning and wrapped up the contest comfortably.
Srikanth pulled off a major upset by defeating Singapore’s former world champion and eighth seed Loh Kean Yew 21-14, 21-15 in the men’s singles opening round. Srikanth looked sharp throughout the match and controlled the rallies effectively to seal a straight-game victory, according to reports.
However, it was a mixed outing for the Indian contingent as Tharun Mannepalli suffered a 12-21, 16-21 defeat against Japan’s Koki Watanabe.
In women’s singles, young Indian shuttler Unnati Hooda put up a spirited fight against Thailand’s fourth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong before losing 21-11, 17-21, 16-21 in a hard-fought three-game encounter.
Asian Championships finalist Ayush Shetty also exited the tournament after going down to Japan’s sixth seed Kodai Naraoka 13-21, 21-17, 4-21 in the men’s singles competition.
The Thailand Open 2026 is being held in Bangkok as part of the BWF World Tour Super 500 circuit.
