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Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu stormed into the womens singles quarter-finals of the Arctic Open 2026 after a comfortable straight-games victory over Japans Riko Gunji in Vantaa, Finland, on Thursday.
The sixth-seeded Sindhu, competing at the BWF Super 500 event, defeated Gunji 21-15, 21-15 in 49 minutes to book her place in the last eight. She will next face top seed and former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the quarter-finals, as per Olympics.com. The opening game was closely contested, with Sindhu and the Japanese shuttler locked at 15-all before the Indian produced a decisive late surge, winning six consecutive points to take the game. The second game followed a similar pattern, with the scores level at 13-all before Sindhu raised her intensity at the crucial stage. She won eight of the next 10 points to close out the match in straight games. Earlier, World Championships medallists Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy suffered first-round exits from the mens singles event at the Arctic Open 2026 in Vantaa, Finland. Srikanth, ranked 31st in the world, won the opening game against Canadas world No. 34, Brian Yang, but eventually lost 15-21, 21-15, and 21-13. World No. 38 Prannoy, meanwhile, was beaten by fourth-seeded Denmarks Anders Antonsen. Prannoy struggled against the Dane and exited the tournament after losing 21-10, 21-9. (ANI)
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