Changzhou [China], July 21 (ANI): Indian shuttlers endured a disappointing begin to the China Open 2026 badminton match as each HS Prannoy and Devika Sihag suffered first-round exits in Changzhou, China, on Tuesday.
At the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, world No. 36 HS Prannoy went down 21-10, 21-14 to Malaysia’s world No. 27 Leong Jun Hao within the males’s singles opening spherical, as per Olympics.
Prannoy’s first-round exit additional prolonged a tough 2026 marketing campaign, with the Asian Games medallist but to advance past the second spherical in any of the eight tournaments he has featured on this season.
Unable to seek out his rhythm from the beginning, the 34-year-old Indian was put underneath stress early by Leong Jun Hao, trailing 11-2 on the interval earlier than surrendering the opening sport with little resistance.
The Indian shuttler confirmed extra combat within the second sport, staying inside touching distance at 11-8 on the interval. However, Leong Jun Hao pulled away after the break, with Prannoy managing solely six extra factors because the Malaysian wrapped up the competition in 32 minutes.
The victory marked Leong Jun Hao’s second win in 4 conferences in opposition to HS Prannoy.
Devika Sihag, the one different Indian shuttler in motion on the opening day of the BWF Super 1000 match, additionally suffered a first-round exit after dropping 21-19, 19-21, 21-13 to Thailand’s Olympian Busanan Ongbamrungphan within the ladies’s singles occasion.
The 21-year-old put up a spirited combat within the opening sport however narrowly missed out. She bounced again strongly within the second sport to degree the competition and power a decider, earlier than Busanan regained management to seal the match.
However, Busanan Ongbamrungphan raised her degree within the decider, racing to an 11-2 lead and sustaining her momentum to shut out the match in a single hour and one minute.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya Sen will start their China Open campaigns on Wednesday.
Sindhu, the 2016 China Open champion, enters the match on the again of a title-winning efficiency on the Japan Open final week. She will face compatriot Unnati Hooda within the opening spherical. (ANI)