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Two-time Olympic medallist and India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu bowed out of the Arctic Open 2026 after suffering a three-game defeat to Thailands Ratchanok Intanon in the womens singles quarterfinals on Friday, as Indias campaign at the BWF Super 500 tournament came to an end.
The sixth-seeded Indian went down 21-11, 19-21, 21-18 against the top-seeded Intanon, the former world champion, in a contest that lasted three games, according to Olympics.com. The defeat marked Sindhus sixth consecutive loss to Intanon, who now leads their head-to-head record 10-4. Sindhu struggled to find her rhythm early in the opening game as Intanon established a 5-1 lead. The Indian fought back to reduce the deficit to 11-8 at the interval, but the Thai shuttler regained control after the break, winning 10 of the next 13 points to take the game. The Indian responded strongly in the second game, holding the advantage at the interval before moving ahead 17-14. Intanon fought back with a five-point run to take the lead, but Sindhu recovered to win four consecutive points and force a decider. The final game remained closely contested, with the players level at 17-17. Intanon then won three successive points to earn match point and converted her second opportunity to seal the victory. Indias challenge in the tournament ended later in the day when Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy lost their mens doubles quarter-final against Denmarks Christian Faust Kjr and Rasmus Kjr. The Indian pair went down 21-13, 21-14 to the Danish combination, bringing their run in Vantaa to a close. Indian shuttlers will next compete at the Denmark Open 2026, which begins on Tuesday. (ANI)
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