Tokyo, July 16: India’s star shuttler and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu’s struggles in 2025 continued as she crashed out of the Japan Open in the first round on Wednesday, losing in straight games to South Korea’s Sim Yu Jin.
Playing her first match since the Indonesia Open in June, Sindhu, currently ranked 16th in the world, fell 15-21, 14-21 to the world number 14 Sim, marking her first-ever loss in four meetings against the Korean opponent.
Sindhu began the match on a shaky note, quickly trailing 3-9 in the opening game. Although she clawed back to narrow the gap at 13-12, Sim regained control and surged ahead to claim the first game. A similar pattern unfolded in the second game, where Sindhu levelled the score at 7-7 and later 11-11, only for Sim to pull away decisively and seal the match.
This first-round defeat adds to a disappointing season for Sindhu, who has not advanced past the quarterfinal stage in any tournament this year. Her best finish in 2025 remains the quarterfinal appearance at the India Open in January. Since then, she has suffered four first-round exits and two pre-quarterfinal losses.
While Sindhu bowed out early, India’s other top contenders enjoyed better fortunes on Wednesday. Lakshya Sen advanced to the men’s singles Round of 16 with a commanding 21-11, 21-18 win over China’s Wang Zheng Xing. Sen will next face Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, the local favourite, in what promises to be an intense second-round battle.
In men’s doubles, the formidable Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made an assured start, defeating South Korea’s Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju 21-18, 21-10 to progress to the last 16.
India’s hopes now rest on Sen and the doubles duo to carry forward the challenge at the Japan Open as the tournament moves into its deeper rounds.
PV Sindhu Suffers First-Round Exit at Japan Open, Lakshya Sen and Doubles Pair Advance
0 Comments 
