India Open: Sindhu out; Srikanth, Prannoy advance
New Delhi (PTI): Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was knocked out of India Open but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy progressed to the second round on a mixed day for the hosts at the USD 950,000 Super 750 badminton tournament, here Wednesday.
Sindhu, who reached the semifinals of Malaysia Super 1000 last week, couldn't maintain the pressure after narrowly pocketing the opening game to eventually go down 22-20 12-21 15-21 to Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen in 68 minutes.
"I don’t think it was my day, she isn’t an easy opponent. At this level, everyone plays well and you can’t expect easy points or easy wins. She has good strokes, you had to keep the tempo and keep the shuttle in play. Small mistakes in those moments become decisive," Sindhu said after her exit.
"I definitely need to be more consistent. Giving away easy or consecutive points is something I have to stop. After losing one point, I need to reset immediately and be ready for the next rally. That’s the main takeaway for me."
Earlier, former world No. 1 Srikanth had to dig deep to outlast fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19, while Malvika Bansod, returning from an injury layoff, displayed patience and defensive solidity to beat Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po 21-18, 21-19.
Prannoy, who received a last-minute entry in the tournament, made it count as he outwitted last year's runner-up Lee Cheuk Yiu 22-20 21-18 to advance to the second round. He will next face eighth seed and former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
Tanvi Sharma, silver medallist at the BWF World Junior Championship, then played her heart out before going down fighting 20-22 21-18 13-21 to world number 2 Wang Zhi Yi.
Indian women’s doubles campaign also got off to a positive note with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand cruising past Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai 21-15, 21-11.
The Indian pair, fresh from defending their Syed Modi International title, will next face seventh seeds Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min of China.
However, it was a disappointing day for India in mixed doubles, with three Indian pairs exiting the tournament at an early stage.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto went down 15-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde lost 19-21, 14-21 to Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen.
Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh were also shown the door after a 15-21, 7-21 defeat to Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara.
Sindhu vs Nguyen
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Coming into the match after two losses in her last two meetings against Nguyen, the Indian knew the importance of a strong start. She raced to a 3-0 lead.
The Vietnamese clawed back to 6-6 before Sindhu pulled away again to make it 12-6. Nguyen, however, stayed in touch, narrowing the gap to 11-12 and then 13-14.
A smash followed by a sharp cross court drop helped Nguyen close in at 16-17 before she drew level at 19-19 and earned a game point.
She failed to convert, though, spraying a return wide, and Sindhu capitalised immediately with a decisive smash to take the opening game.
The second game began on an even note with the scores locked at 4-4. Nguyen then moved ahead 7-4, but Sindhu once again reeled her in at 8-8. The Vietnamese went into the interval with a two point cushion and surged ahead to 15-9 after the restart.
A series of wide and long shots compounded Sindhu’s frustration as Nguyen raced to 19-11. A precise backline placement earned her multiple game points and she sealed the game with a body smash to force a decider.
The third game followed a similar script with neither player willing to yield ground. Two superb cross court smashes helped Sindhu stay level at 7-7 and the contest remained tight at 10-10 before another wide error from the Indian shifted momentum.
Nguyen seized control after the break, opening up a four point lead at 18-14 and then unleashed another accurate smash to move within two points of victory. The Vietnamese earned five match points. Sindhu erred again as she closed it out comfortably.
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Hormuz Blockade: Why Your World Stalls
Three weeks ago, the third Gulf War started. And since that day, ordinary life for millions of people around the world — including us — has quietly started getting more expensive and more difficult. Let us understand why.
Everything begins with a tiny 54-kilometre-wide waterway called the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran. Think of it like a narrow gate between two rooms. Almost all the oil, gas, and goods from the Gulf countries pass through this one gate to reach the rest of the world. Now that gate is blocked. And the world is beginning to choke.
The Fuel Problem
On 16th March, the price of crude oil crossed $106 per barrel — the highest since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022. Even Donald Trump released America's emergency oil reserves — the largest ever release — but traders are still not convinced the strait will reopen soon. About 10 to 15 percent of the world's oil supply is stuck.
Asian countries like India, China, Japan and Thailand are already cutting oil refinery production by 5 to 15 percent because the Gulf crude they are designed to process is simply not coming. The little oil that does arrive is the wrong type for their machines. Less production means less petrol, less diesel, less jet fuel — and higher prices at the pump for everyone.
Here is a scary number — if the blockade continues, countries in Africa may run out of jet fuel in just 23 days, Oceania in 36 days, and most of Asia in about 12 days. Some poorer nations have already started closing schools and cutting working days just to save fuel.
The Factory Problem
The Gulf is not just about oil. It supplies 24 percent of the world's aluminium — used in everything from milk packets to electric wires. The price of aluminium has jumped by ₹25,000 per tonne in just weeks. The Gulf also supplies nearly half the world's urea (fertiliser), a large portion of the plastics used in packaging, and critical chemicals used in making medicines — including the raw materials for aspirin and antibiotics.
India, being the world's largest maker of generic medicines, is directly affected. If these chemical raw materials stop arriving, medicine production slows down. Plastic companies in Asia have already declared "force majeure" — a legal term meaning "sorry, we simply cannot fulfil our contracts because the situation is beyond our control."
And then there is helium. Most people think helium is just for balloons. But it is actually used to cool the powerful magnets inside machines that make semiconductor chips — the tiny chips inside every phone, laptop, and car. Qatar used to supply one-third of the world's helium. That supply has now stopped. There is no easy backup.
The Food Problem
This is perhaps the most serious part. One-third of the world's fertiliser trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Countries like Kenya, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Tanzania get more than one-fourth of their fertiliser from the Gulf. Sudan gets more than half.
The price of urea has already jumped 35 percent since the war began. Sulphur, another crop nutrient, has risen 40 percent. The head of Yara, one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies, has warned this could be "catastrophic" for global food supply. In America, the agriculture minister has called it a "national security issue."
For farmers, the choice is brutal — pay double for fertiliser, use less and grow less, or wait and miss the planting season entirely. If fertiliser arrives late, it cannot help the 2026 harvest. Food that is not grown this season cannot be grown back next month.
What This Means For Us
We may not live near the Gulf. We may never have heard of the Strait of Hormuz before. But we will feel this — in rising petrol prices, costlier groceries, expensive medicines, and delayed goods. Even if the strait reopens tomorrow, experts say things will not return to normal quickly. Damaged refineries, broken factories, and cautious shipping companies will take months to restart.
This crisis is also a loud warning for every country — including India — to seriously rethink how deeply we depend on one single region for so many essential goods. True security means building alternative suppliers, stronger reserves, and smarter trade routes before the next crisis hits.
One small passage. One war. And slowly, the whole world is beginning to feel the heat.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
