BWF India Open: Srikanth Exits in Second Round; Malvika’s Defeat Ends India’s Women’s Singles Campaign

New Delhi: Former champion Kidambi Srikanth bowed out of the BWF India Open after suffering a three-game defeat against France’s Christo Popov in the round of 16 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex on Thursday.

The former world No. 1 and 2021 World Championships silver medallist went down 14-21, 21-17, 17-21 in a hard-fought contest that lasted over an hour. Srikanth lost the opening game but showed resilience and composure to bounce back in the second, levelling the match with a controlled 21-17 win. However, Popov raised his intensity in the decider and remained steadier in the closing stages to seal the match 21-17.

This was Srikanth’s first defeat against Popov in their third career meeting. The French shuttler has been in strong form, having become the first French player to win the World Tour Finals in December 2025 after defeating world champion Shi Yu Qi in the final.

Earlier in the tournament, Srikanth, who last featured in a Super 750 event in Singapore in May 2025, overcame a slow start to defeat compatriot Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19 in the opening round.

India’s women’s singles campaign came to an end after Malvika Bansod lost in straight games, 18-21, 15-21, to China’s Han Yue in the second round. Malvika had earlier kept India’s hopes alive with a 21-18, 21-19 win over Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu-po in the first round.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu had already exited the tournament on Wednesday, losing her opening-round match 20-22, 21-12, 21-15 to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh.

In men’s singles, World Championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy advanced to the second round with a 22-20, 21-18 victory over Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, China, in a 41-minute match.

India’s top men’s doubles pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, progressed to the second round after receiving a walkover against the American duo of Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.

However, India endured a disappointing outing in mixed doubles, with all three pairs exiting in the first round. Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh lost 21-15, 21-7 to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde were beaten 21-19, 21-14 by Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also went down 21-15, 21-14 to Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.

With inputs from IANS