Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2026: Prannoy, Srikanth outclass younger rivals to reach Round 2; Malvika Bansod advances
Tanvi Sharma impresses despite narrow loss to second seed Wang Zhi Yi; PV Sindhu exits in first round
New Delhi, January 14, 2026: Experienced campaigners HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth rolled back the years to overcome younger opponents and move into the men’s singles second round, while 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma showcased her immense promise despite a narrow defeat against second seed Wang Zhi Yi of China in the women’s singles first round at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open 2026 on Wednesday.
The Super 750 event, part of the HSBC BWF World Tour, is being organised by the Badminton Association of India.
Former champion Srikanth rallied after dropping the opening game to beat compatriot Tharun M 15-21, 21-6, 21-19, while Prannoy produced a composed display to defeat Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, last year’s runner-up, 22-20, 21-18.
Malvika Bansod was the only other Indian to progress on the day, as the left-hander defeated Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei 21-18, 21-19 in the women’s singles opening round.
World junior silver medallist Tanvi Sharma pushed world No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi to three games in her Super 750 debut but eventually went down 20-22, 21-18, 21-13 in a match lasting one hour and nine minutes. Tanvi had a game point in the opening game but failed to convert, before forcing a decider with an impressive second-game comeback.
Former world champion PV Sindhu suffered an early exit, losing 20-22, 21-12, 21-15 to Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen in the opening round.
The spotlight, however, remained firmly on Prannoy and Srikanth, both eager to revive their BWF Tour campaigns after a difficult 2025 season.
Prannoy, who gained entry into the main draw following the withdrawal of world No. 3 Anders Antonsen, made full use of the opportunity. Ranked 38th, he relied on sharp smashes and patient rally construction to save two game points in the opener and seal a straight-games victory. He will next face former world champion and eighth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
“Winning a round always feels nice, and just getting to play a Super 750 is something big for me,” Prannoy said. “I told myself to enjoy being on court, regardless of the outcome, and that really helped.”
Srikanth, playing his first Super 750 event since May 2025, struggled for rhythm early but dominated the second game before edging a tense decider. Trailing 17-19, the former world No. 1 used his net control and experience to reel off four straight points and clinch the match in 53 minutes.
“It was a tough match and could have gone either way,” said Srikanth, who will face BWF World Tour Finals winner Christo Popov of France in the second round.
Earlier, Tanvi underlined why she is regarded as one of Indian badminton’s brightest prospects. Despite confirmation of her entry only on the eve of the tournament, the teenager matched Wang shot for shot in patches, using clever deception and late flicks before fading in the decider due to fatigue.
Important Results
Men’s Singles:
Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Koki Watanabe (Jpn) 21-19, 23-25, 21-10
Christo Popov (Fra) bt Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) 13-21, 21-18, 21-19
Kidambi Srikanth bt Tharun M 15-21, 21-6, 21-19
Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Jia Heng Jason Teh (Sin) 21-16, 21-10
Loh Kean Yew (Sin) bt Wang Zheng Xing (Chn) 23-21, 19-21, 21-14
HS Prannoy bt Lee Cheuk Yiu (HKG) 22-20, 21-18
Women’s Singles:
Wang Zhi Yi (Chn) bt Tanvi Sharma 22-20, 18-21, 21-13
Thuy Linh Nguyen (Vie) bt PV Sindhu 20-22, 21-12, 21-15
An Se Young (Kor) bt Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-17, 21-9
Malvika Bansod bt Pai Yu Po (Tpe) 21-18, 21-19
Han Yue (Chn) bt Sung Shuo Yun (Tpe) 18-21, 21-13, 21-17
Women’s Doubles:
Nanako Hara/Riko Kiyose (Jpn) bt Rutuparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda 21-8, 21-18
Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (Kor) bt Gayatri Rawat/Mansa Rawat 21-5, 21-8
Mixed Doubles:
Pakkapol Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto 21-15, 21-14
Marvin Seidel/Thuc Phuong Nguyen (Ger) bt Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde 21-19, 21-14
Yuichi Shimogami/Sayaka Hobara (Jpn) bt Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh 21-15, 21-7
