Changzhou [China], July 21 (ANI): Indian shuttlers endured a disappointing start to the China Open 2026 badminton tournament as both HS Prannoy and Devika Sihag suffered first-round exits in Changzhou, China, on Tuesday.
At the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, world No. 36 HS Prannoy went down 21-10, 21-14 to Malaysia’s world No. 27 Leong Jun Hao in the men’s singles opening round, as per Olympics.
Prannoy’s first-round exit further extended a difficult 2026 campaign, with the Asian Games medallist yet to advance beyond the second round in any of the eight tournaments he has featured in this season.
Unable to find his rhythm from the start, the 34-year-old Indian was put under pressure early by Leong Jun Hao, trailing 11-2 at the interval before surrendering the opening game with little resistance.
The Indian shuttler showed more fight in the second game, staying within touching distance at 11-8 at the interval. However, Leong Jun Hao pulled away after the break, with Prannoy managing only six more points as the Malaysian wrapped up the contest in 32 minutes.
The victory marked Leong Jun Hao’s second win in four meetings against HS Prannoy.
Devika Sihag, the only other Indian shuttler in action on the opening day of the BWF Super 1000 tournament, also suffered a first-round exit after losing 21-19, 19-21, 21-13 to Thailand’s Olympian Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the women’s singles event.
The 21-year-old put up a spirited fight in the opening game but narrowly missed out. She bounced back strongly in the second game to level the contest and force a decider, before Busanan regained control to seal the match.
However, Busanan Ongbamrungphan raised her level in the decider, racing to an 11-2 lead and maintaining her momentum to close out the match in one hour and one minute.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya Sen will begin their China Open campaigns on Wednesday.
Sindhu, the 2016 China Open champion, enters the tournament on the back of a title-winning performance at the Japan Open last week. She will face compatriot Unnati Hooda in the opening round. (ANI)
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