India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu kicked off her campaign at the Japan Open 2026 in style with her second round entry after crushing Malaysia's Wong Ling in straight games in Tokyo. Meanwhile, India's dazzling duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ruled out of the tournament with former's shoulder injury.
Injury ends Satwiksairaj-Chirag's campaign ends at Japan Open
India's premier men's doubles duo suffered an abrupt and unfortunate exit at the BWF Super 750 tournament. After recently snapping a two-year title drought at the Singapore Open and subsequently pulling out of the Indonesia Open, the world No. 4 pair was forced to retire from their opening match against Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard after narrowly dropping the first game 19-21. To prevent further setbacks, chief doubles coach Tan Kim Her confirmed that the duo will bypass next week's China Open to prioritize rehabilitation, aiming to be in peak physical shape for the home World Championships in August.
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On a brighter note, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu enjoyed a seamless and commanding start to her campaign. Currently ranked 10th in the world, the Indian star put on a clinical clinic to dismantle Malaysia's world No. 37, Wong Ling Ching, in straight games (21-14, 21-11) to comfortably secure her spot in the second round.
India experienced contrasting fortunes in the mixed doubles division. The tandem of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto successfully advanced to the next stage by dispatching Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Julie Macpherson with a disciplined 21-16, 21-14 victory. However, the tournament came to a swift end for Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, who faced a daunting opening draw and fell 11-21, 10-21 to China's top-seeded heavyweights, Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.
PV Sindhu's dominant win for 2nd round entry
Sindhu dominating from the opening serve, she immediately took charge of the match by dictating the rhythm of the rallies to establish a quick 7-4 lead. Though Wong tried to mount a challenge, her own unforced errors played into the Indian's hands, allowing Sindhu to consistently extend her lead to an 11-6 cushion by the mid-game break.
The former world champion looked entirely at ease on the court, utilizing an array of precise strokes to push the score to 14-9. Sindhu displayed a masterclass in variety, seamlessly blending tight backhand net dribbles, delicate drop shots, and deceptive half-smashes. Even when minor lapses crept into her game—such as a long toss and a wide cross-court net shot—Wong proved unable to capitalize on the openings. A powerful straight smash eventually handed Sindhu seven game points, and she confidently converted on her second attempt to take the first game.
The second game followed a nearly identical script as the players swapped sides. Sindhu hit the ground running, rapidly building an 8-2 advantage before marching into the mid-game interval with a commanding 11-3 lead.
As the match progressed, the gulf between the two players only widened. Wong's accuracy continued to falter, allowing the Indian ace to storm ahead to a 16-5 lead. While the Malaysian managed a brief three-point resurgence, another unforced error quickly halted her momentum. Soon after, a frustrated smash into the net from Wong gifted Sindhu ten match points. Though the Indian mistimed a long return on her first chance, Wong found the net on the very next exchange, sealing a routine, straight-game triumph for Sindhu.
Later in the tournament schedule, India's men's doubles contingent will look to replicate this success as Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun prepare to clash with Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan.