SportsPosted at: Oct 19 2026 6:00PM


French Open: Sindhu, Lakshya face tough tests in opening round

New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) India’s leading shuttlers, including two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and men’s singles player Lakshya Sen, will look to regain their form in the French Open Super 750 in Paris, starting Tuesday.
With a prize purse of US$950,000, the tournament offers India’s players an opportunity to bounce back after a mixed run of results. Sindhu faces a formidable opening challenge against top seed and World No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea, while sixth seed Lakshya takes on Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the men’s singles first round.
Sindhu will be keen to put her disappointing Denmark Open campaign behind her. She was initially drawn against An Se Young last week, but a series of late withdrawals forced the organisers to revise the draw, setting up a first-round meeting with Germany’s Yvonne Li instead.
Sindhu suffered a surprise defeat to the lower-ranked German and will need a sharper performance against the Korean in Paris.
Lakshya, meanwhile, will be looking to rediscover the form that helped India secure bronze in the men’s team event at the Asian Games. The Almora shuttler overcame Naraoka despite a back issue during that campaign, but his performances have dipped since then. The rematch gives him an early opportunity to get his campaign back on track.
In the men’s singles, former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will face compatriot Ayush Shetty in an all-Indian first-round contest.
Srikanth showed encouraging signs at the Denmark Open, pushing reigning world champion Alex Lanier with his sharp net play before eventually losing. He will hope to carry that form into the French capital, while Shetty will look to make the most of the opportunity against an experienced opponent.
India’s strongest hopes in men’s doubles rest with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The pair have enjoyed a productive season, winning titles at the Singapore and China Open, but their early exit at the Asian Games was a setback. They begin their French Open campaign against home favourites and brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov.
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will look to build on their maiden World Championships bronze medal this year. They open against Taiwan’s Lin Chih-Chun and Yang Chu Yun.
The women’s singles draw also features an all-Indian clash, with Tanvi Sharma taking on Isharani Baruah. Ashmita Chaliha faces China’s Han Qian Xi, while Unnati Hooda begins against Japan’s Riko Gunji. Devika Sihag has a challenging first-round assignment against fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia.
UNI TB ATP RN
Tags: #French Open: Sindhu# Lakshya face tough tests in opening round
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