PV Sindhu Suffers An Early Exit At ‘Arctic Open 2024’ After Losing To Canada’s Michelle Li

October 9, 2024: PV Sindhu’s return to competitive badminton after the Paris Olympics 2024 ended in disappointment, as she crashed out of the Arctic Open 2024 in the first round. Facing off against Canada’s Michelle Li.

Sindhu struggled from the start, losing 21-16, 21-10 in a match that lasted just 37 minutes. This marked her first tournament appearance since the Olympics and her first under the guidance of new coaches, India’s Anoop Sridhar and South Korea’s Lee Soon Il, after parting ways with her former coach, Indonesia’s Agus Dwi Santoso.

Although Sindhu has historically dominated Michelle Li in their head-to-head matchups, winning 10 of their 14 encounters, the Canadian displayed superior form to secure the win. Li now progresses to face India’s Unnati Hooda, who emerged victorious against Brazil’s Juliana Viana Vieira in a closely fought match.

Aakarshi Kashyap advanced to the Round of 16 with a solid win over Germany’s Yvonne Li, 21-19, 21-14.

Malvika Bansod also moved into the next round, defeating Sung Shuo Yun from Chinese Taipei in a tight 21-19, 24-22 match.

Kiran George advanced to the men’s singles main draw by defeating French player Lucas Calarebout 21-16, 13-21, 21-19.

Sathish Kumar Karunakaran exited the men’s singles after a defeat to France’s Arnaud Merkle, but he and partner Aadya Variyath won their mixed doubles match against Estonia’s Mikk Ounmaa and Ramona Uprus.

Looking ahead, Lakshya Sen, who made the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics, will take on Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the men’s singles first round.