PV Sindhu kicked off her campaign at the Arctic Open 2026 in Vantaa with a commanding victory over Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang, winning in straight games.
However, the Indian women’s team faced several challenges in the early rounds of the BWF Super 500 tournament.
The sixth-seeded Sindhu secured her place in the second round with a swift 21-8, 21-11 win, taking just 28 minutes. The two-time Olympic medalist, who reached the quarter-finals at the 2026 Asian Games, is set to compete against Japan’s Riko Gunji next.
From the start, Sindhu maintained control against Zhang. She quickly established a significant lead in the first game, never allowing her Canadian opponent to gain momentum. While Sindhu advanced smoothly, many of her compatriots struggled.
Unnati Hooda came close to a comeback against China’s Han Qianxi but fell short. After losing the first game 21-16, Hooda rallied to win the second game 21-15. The decisive game was tightly contested, but Han ultimately triumphed 24-22 after 68 minutes of play.
Ashmita Chaliha also put up a strong fight against her higher-ranked opponent. After losing the first game 21-7 to the seventh-seeded Line Christophersen, Chaliha bounced back to take the second game 21-14, forcing a final game. However, Christophersen edged out Chaliha in the third game, winning 26-24.
Malvika Bansod, after qualifying with a win over Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun, faced a tough match against Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, losing 21-18, 21-13.
Isharani Barua faced the toughest challenge against top seed Ratchanok Intanon. The former world champion from Thailand controlled the match, winning 21-10, 21-15.
On a positive note, Tanvi Sharma secured another victory for India in women’s singles, defeating Taiwan’s Chiu Pin-Chien 21-15, 21-17.
The mixed doubles campaign for India took an early hit when Ishan Bhatnagar and Shruti Mishra suffered a heavy defeat to Thailand’s Pakkapon Teerawiwatana and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, losing 21-3, 21-6.
There was good news in the men’s singles qualifiers. Tharun Mannepalli defeated Belgium’s Julian Carraggi 21-12, 19-21, 21-13, while Raunak Chauhan made a comeback after losing the first game to beat Israel’s Daniel Dubovenko 18-21, 21-17, 21-19.
Both Mannepalli and Chauhan secured their spots in the main draw, joining renowned Indian players Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy.
However, disappointment struck in the men’s doubles qualifiers as Achyutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Arjun Reddy Pochana failed to qualify for the main draw.