Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was knocked out of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament after a first-round loss to Thailand's Supanida Katethong here on Tuesday.
World No. 7 Sindhu, a former champion, went down 12-21 20-22 to the world No. 30 in the women's singles match. The Indian had lost to the same player in the semifinals in the last edition.
Sindhu didn't look at her best as she struggled against the left-handed Supanida, who was precise in her returns and looked in more control in the rallies to take the opening game.
The former world champion fought hard in the second game as she moved from 12-17 to grab one game point at 19-20. She, in fact, had left the court after the opponent's return was called out. But a video referral showed that the shuttle had actually kissed the line, handing her opponent a chance to close the match and she did it in style after Sindhu went wide.
(Published 17 January 2023, 16:19 IST)
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