India’s PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, faced an unexpected defeat at the India Open 2026 against Vietnam’s T.L. Nguyen in the Round of 32. Despite a strong start and winning the first game 22-20, Sindhu struggled in the following games. Nguyen’s aggressive play led to a 21-12 victory in the second game, followed by a 21-15 win in the decider, marking a significant upset.
The loss at the India Open 2026 signifies an early end to Sindhu’s campaign in her home tournament, while Nguyen progresses with a morale-boosting win. This defeat is particularly notable as Sindhu’s earliest exit from the India Open since 2023. In the previous year’s Super 750 tournament, she had reached the quarter-finals but failed to advance further.
Sindhu had a promising start to the 2026 season, reaching the semifinals of the Super 1000 Kuala Lumpur event before losing to world number two Wang Zhiyi. Despite a close match, Sindhu fell short with a 16-21, 15-21 loss to Wang, missing a chance to avenge her previous defeat in the Malaysia Open final.
