India’s double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu survived a scare from Thailand’s world No. 26 Supanida Katethong to advance to the next round of the French Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.
The former world champion and world No. 1 battled for an hour and four minutes before prevailing 21-14, 8-21, 23-21 in a gruelling three-game encounter.
Sindhu started strongly, taking the opening game 21-14, but Katethong fought back in the second, dominating the rallies to level the match with a commanding 21-8 win.
The decider proved to be a tense affair, with both players fighting for every point. Sindhu eventually held her nerve in the closing stages to edge past the Thai shuttler 23-21 and seal her place in the next round.
In another women’s singles match, Unnati Hooda bowed out after losing 18-21, 21-12, 17-21 to Japan’s Riko Gunji.
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