PV Sindhu advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open Super 750 after defeating Beiwen Zhang. Initially, Sindhu struggled with her strategy, opting for clears to the backcourt, which often failed.
Coaching adjustments by Prakash Padukone and Agus Dwi Santoso proved crucial. Padukone’s calming advice helped Sindhu regain focus and control. She dominated the last two games, winning 13-21, 21-10, and 21-14. Padukone’s straightforward but insightful coaching during breaks improved Sindhu’s performance. In her quarterfinal matchup with Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei, Sindhu will now face her first real test ahead of Paris 2024.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand defeated former world No. 1s Sayaka Hirota and Yuki Fukushima in another match. The Indian team won their second meeting in two against the three-time silver medalists from the World Championships, despite brief flashes of brilliance from the Japanese pair. This triumph maintains a tight balance in the Race for Paris between the Indian pairs.
But Kidambi Srikanth was disappointed when he lost a hard-fought encounter to Lu Guang Zu of China. Lu won the tournament by defeating two Indian competitors, thanks to his tenacious play. Srikanth suffered from mistakes at critical times, which frustrated him in the end.
