Double Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu’s return to action after the Paris Olympics got off to a disappointing start. The sixth seed fell to Canada’s Michelle Li in the women’s singles first round of the Arctic Open Super 500 tournament on Tuesday. Li dominated the match, claiming a 21-16, 21-10 victory in just 37 minutes.
Meanwhile, Aakarshi Kashyap secured a win in another women’s singles contest, defeating Germany’s Yvonne Li 21-19, 21-14.
The biggest upset of the day came from Malvika Bansod. The 23-year-old southpaw, who recently won her first title in over two years at the Azerbaijan International, displayed remarkable resilience in a hard-fought match against world No. 23 Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei. Bansod emerged victorious 21-19, 24-22 in a thrilling 57-minute encounter.
Bansod now faces a daunting challenge in the pre-quarterfinals. She will take on the winner of the match between Ratchanok Intanon, the 2013 world champion from Thailand and tournament top seed, and Wang Zhi Yi, the 2022 world champion from China. The upcoming match promises to be a test of Bansod’s skills and resilience.
