French Open Day 2 Roundup: PV Sindhu and Srikanth sail into Round of 16 with thrilling wins while HS Prannoy gets eliminated
After a successful first day, Day 2 of the 2024 French Open started on a disappointing note as India’s top shuttler HS Prannoy suffered a throbbing loss against Lu Guangzu in his inaugural match. However, the likes of Srikanth Kidambi and PV Sindhu have successfully secured a spot in the Round of 16.
Hence, without further ado, let’s take a look at the Day 2 matches:
Men’s Singles
HS Prannoy vs Lu Guangzu
HS Prannoy entered the 2024 French Open as India’s highest-ranked shuttler in the single’s competition. In the Round of 32, the seventh seed locked horns against China’s Lu Guangzu.
Prannoy started strong in the first game as he managed to develop a lead of 7-10 in the initial few minutes. However, despite trailing in the initial moments, Guangzu stood strong and gave a gritty performance to seal the first game 21-17. The second game started in the exact opposite manner as the Chinese shuttler wasn’t making any unforced errors. With his precise performance, Guangzu eventually sealed the victory 21-17, 21-17 against Prannoy.
Including the loss in Paris, Prannoy has lost four out of his last five matches on the BWF World Tour. On the other side, Guangzu was eliminated by India’s Kiran George in the second round of the Indonesia Open, which took place earlier this year in January. However, this time, the Chinese shuttler made a magnificent comeback by defeating the subcontinent’s top badminton star.
HS Prannoy has also been suffering from back issues since the 2022 Asian Games
Interestingly, the World No. 17 will be facing another Indian shuttler in his Round of 16 match. Guangzu will be playing a crucial match against former BWF World No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi on Thursday.
Srikanth Kidambi vs Chou Tien-Chen
Srikanth Kidambi was the last Indian to present his participation in the first round in the men’s singles division. The Indian shuttler was drawn against Taiwan’s Chou Tien-Chen, who also won the 2024 Thailand Masters, earlier this year.
Srikanth took an early lead in the first game as Tien-Chen was failing to answer the Indian shuttler’s smashes. After crafting a strong lead of nine points, 19-10, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist sealed the first game 21-15.
The second game between the two shuttlers turned out to be a hard-fought battle as both stars were not ready to give up. Srikanth wanted to win and end the match in consecutive games while Tien-chen was in a do-or-die situation. The continuous battle of 42 points resulted in the match being forced into the deciding game, which was won by Tien Chen.
In the third game, Srikanth was set for redemption as he didn’t let the Taiwanese find any openings and won the deciding game 21-8. Srikanth will be facing China’s Lu Guangzu in his Round of 16 matches tomorrow, March 7. Guangzu defeated BWF World No. 7 HS Prannoy 21-17, 21-17 in the first round.
Women’s Singles
PV Sindhu vs Michelle Li
PV Sindhu will face Beiwen Zhang in the second round of the 2024 French Open
Last year in October, PV Sindhu suffered a left knee injury during the first round of the French Open, due to which she was sidelined for three months. Interestingly, the same tournament marked the top Indian shuttler’s return to singles badminton.
Last month, she was a part of the Indian team, which triumphed at the Badminton Asia Team Championships. Continuing her brilliant form, Sindhu defeated Michelle Li in a three-game thriller in Paris and secured a spot in the Round of 16, where she’ll be facing the USA’s Beiwen Zhang, who stunned Carolina Marin 14-21, 21-16, 21-17.
Playing against Li, Sindhu lost the first game 20-22. However, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist was quick to make a comeback in the match by winning the second game with the same scoreline 22-20.
The stakes were high in the decider as Li was looking forward to recording her second win over Sindhu while the Indian shuttler was eyeing redemption for the loss she suffered during their last meeting, which took place in the Thailand Open, last year. However, Sindhu managed to hold her nerve and redeemed the victory 20-22, 22-20, 21-19.
What’s on Day 3?
The initial two days of the 2024 French Open have been full of surprises and awe-inspiring action. However, from the Indian perspective, the journey has been bittersweet. The first phase of the tournament has come to an end and it’s time for the Round of 16 fixtures.
On Day 3, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face the Malaysian pair of Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will play against Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota.
In the single’s division, Lakshya will lock horns against China’s Shifeng while Kidambi will face Guangzu. On the other hand, Sindhu will be facing the United States’ Zhang.