India got off to a fantastic start at the Badminton World Championships 2025. In the first-round matches played on Tuesday, HS Prannoy and two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu secured straight-game victories to advance to the second round.
Sports News: Two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion PV Sindhu made a brilliant start to the BWF World Badminton Championships, securing her place in the second round of the women's singles. Sindhu, ranked 15th in the world, showcased her powerful game after an initial hesitation, defeating Bulgaria's 69th-ranked Kaloyana Nalbantova in straight games 23-21, 21-6. Similarly, in the men's singles, HS Prannoy also delivered an excellent performance, winning his first-round match and entering the second round.
PV Sindhu's Impressive Comeback
World No. 15 and former World Champion PV Sindhu defeated Bulgaria's 69th-ranked Kaloyana Nalbantova 23-21, 21-6. Sindhu appeared slightly uneasy at the start of the match, trailing 0-4 at one point. Nalbantova played aggressively and built an 11-7 lead by the interval. However, after the break, Sindhu showed her old form, leveling the score at 12-12 with excellent cross-court smashes and winners.
After this, the match became very exciting. The Bulgarian player had two game points but couldn't capitalize on them. Sindhu turned the tables on her first game point and won the first game 23-21. In the second game, Sindhu was completely dominant. After taking an early 5-1 lead, she extended it to 11-5 by the interval. Following this, the Indian shuttler continued to gather points, gaining a 17-5 lead.
Towards the end of the match, Sindhu had 15 match points, converting the second to secure the victory and easily advance to the next round. Her next match will be against Thailand's Karupathevan Letshanaa.
HS Prannoy's Strategic Victory
In the men's singles match, HS Prannoy, ranked 34th in the world, defeated Finland's 47th-ranked Joakim Oldorff 21-18, 21-15 to advance to the second round. Prannoy had a slightly slow start in the first game, trailing in the initial points. However, he soon took the lead with his aggressive shots, making the score 8-7. With forehand crosses and powerful smashes, he extended the lead to 10-8. However, Oldorff came back to level the score at 16-16. Following this, taking advantage of the Finnish player's repeated mistakes, Prannoy won the first game 21-18.
In the second game, the Indian player dominated from the start. He was leading 11-8 by the interval, and after that, he completely controlled the rallies. Prannoy continued to score points, building a 17-11 lead and winning the game and match 21-15. In the second round, he is likely to face second seed Anders Antonsen.
