Denmark Open 2023: PV Sindhu qualifies for 2nd round, Satwik-Chirag withdraw at last moment

In the Denmark Open 2023, India's PV Sindhu clinched a hard-fought victory against Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the women's singles round of 32 match at the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense on Tuesday. 12th-ranked Sindhu managed to secure a 21-14, 18-21, 21-10 win against the 28th-ranked Scottish shuttler. In the upcoming round of 16 at the BWF Super 750 tournament on Thursday, Sindhu will face the seventh-seeded Indonesian player, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, who had defeated Sindhu in the Spain Masters final earlier this year. 

3 things you need to know

• Denmark Open results will have an impact on qualifying rankings for the Paris Olympics
• PV Sindhu secured her place in the Round of 16 at the Denmark Open
• Other Indian players did not fare too well in the competition

Also Read: Injured HS Prannoy withdraws from Denmark and French Open

Sindhu displays a strong performance at Denmark Open

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion, displayed strong control in the decisive third game, securing her second victory over Gilmour in three meetings, with the match lasting 56 minutes. Sindhu's performance on the international stage has not been remarkable this year. However, this win in Denmark Open will most likely boost her confidence. Aakarshi Kashyap, who secured a late entry to the tournament, also progressed in the women's singles competition. Ranked 38th globally, Kashyap overcame a deficit to defeat Germany's Yvonne Li, who is positioned 12 places higher in the badminton rankings, with a score of 10-21, 22-20, 21-12.

In men's singles, Kidambi Srikanth suffered an early exit after losing to China's Weng Hong Yang with a score of 21-19, 10-21, 16-21. This marked the former world No. 1's seventh opening-round loss in 15 BWF World Tour tournaments this year. Lakshya Sen also faced an early exit, losing in the first round with a score of 16-21, 18-21 to Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen.

Also Read: PV Sindhu overcomes Thuy Linh Nguyen to secure semi-final berth at Arctic Open Super 500 tournament

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who currently hold the top position in the men's doubles badminton rankings, were initially slated to play against Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in their opener. However, the Indian pair withdrew at the last moment, granting their opponents a walkover. The reason behind Satwik-Chirag's withdrawal is not yet known.  Additionally, Indian women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand and the men's doubles duo of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila also withdrew from the tournament before it began.