PV Sindhu began her Badminton World Championships campaign on a winning note, defeating Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova in straight games on Tuesday, August 26, at the Adidas Arena in Paris. The 15th seed, who has been struggling with form this season and has faced several early-round exits, showed resilience to overcome a shaky start and secure a 23-21, 21-6 victory.
The opening game tested Sindhu’s composure as she trailed 3-7 early on before clawing back to 12-12. She briefly went ahead 15-13, but her opponent kept fighting, earning two game points at 20-19 and 21-20. Sindhu, however, displayed her big-match temperament, saving both and converting her own opportunity at 22-21 to close out the game 23-21.
Having survived the nervy moments, Sindhu switched gears in the second game and completely dominated Nalbantova. She stormed to an 11-5 lead at the interval and maintained relentless pressure to stretch it to 20-5, holding 15 match points. The Indian dropped just one more point before wrapping up the match 21-6, sealing a confident start to her campaign.
