PV Sindhu and Satwik-Chirag suffer surprising exits at Paris 2024 Olympics

In a dramatic turn of events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, India’s PV Sindhu and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced unexpected defeats in their badminton events on Thursday.

PV Sindhu’s Olympic bid ends in disappointment

PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and world No. 13, fell to He Bingjiao of the People’s Republic of China with scores of 21-19, 21-14. The loss marks a significant setback for Sindhu, who had previously secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by defeating the same opponent.

Sindhu began the match in a challenging position, quickly trailing 7-2 against the 9th-ranked He Bingjiao. Despite leveling the first game at 19-19, Sindhu could not secure the win as He Bingjiao clinched the game. The second game saw Sindhu struggle against a commanding 8-2 lead by the Chinese player, compounded by errors from the Indian shuttler. The match concluded in under an hour.

Sindhu expressed her disappointment post-match, stating, “It’s sad that I couldn’t get the result that I wanted. At the Olympics, everybody wants to win. Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen or it didn’t go the right way for me.” Reflecting on her performance, Sindhu noted that securing the first game might have altered the outcome and boosted her confidence.

Satwik-Chirag’s unexpected exit

In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, ranked 5th in the world, faced a surprising exit against the 3rd-seeded Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. Despite taking the first game 21-12, the Indian duo faltered in the subsequent games, losing 21-14, 21-16.

The match began evenly, with both pairs level at 8-8 in the first game. Satwik-Chirag managed to secure a 15-10 lead and eventually won the game. However, the second game saw the Malaysian pair regain control, and errors from the Indian team allowed Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to push the match to a decisive third game.

In the final game, Satwik-Chirag appeared set for a semi-final spot with a 14-11 lead but lost momentum. Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik took advantage of the situation, winning five consecutive points from 16-16 to eliminate the Indian pair after an intense match lasting just over an hour.

Lakshya Sen advances to quarter-finals

In contrast, Lakshya Sen advanced to the men’s singles quarter-finals with a dominant performance against HS Prannoy. Sen, ranked 22nd, defeated his compatriot, who is ranked 11th, in straight sets 21-12, 21-6 in just 39 minutes.

Sen’s victory marks a notable achievement as he becomes only the third Indian to reach the men’s singles quarter-finals at the Olympics, joining Parupalli Kashyap (London 2012) and Kidambi Srikanth (Rio 2016). Lakshya Sen will face Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals, as India’s sole remaining badminton hope at the Paris 2024 Olympics.