Vantaa, Oct. 7 – PV Sindhu opened the Arctic Open 2026 in Finland with a decisive straight‑game win over Canadian qualifier Wen Yu Zhang. The sixth‑seeded Olympian took 28 minutes to finish 21‑8, 21‑11, controlling the rallies from the start. She now faces Japan’s Riko Gunji in the second round.
India’s women’s singles field suffered several early exits. Unnati Hooda pushed China’s Han Qianxi to a 24‑22 finish after a 68‑minute battle, but lost in the deciding game. Ashmita Chaliha rallied from a 21‑7 deficit to win the second set 21‑14 against seventh seed Line Christophersen, yet the Danish player prevailed 26‑24. Malvika Bansod fell 21‑18, 21‑13 to Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, and Isharani Baruah was beaten 21‑10, 21‑15 by Thailand’s former world champion Ratchanok Intanon.
A bright spot came from Tanvi Sharma, who defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin‑Chian 21‑15, 21‑17 to join Sindhu in the next round. India’s mixed‑doubles pair, Ishan Bhatnagar and Shruti Mishra, were overwhelmed by Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, losing 21‑3, 21‑6. In the men’s qualifiers, Tharun Mannepalli beat Belgium’s Julien Carraggi in three games, while Rounak Chouhan rallied from a game down to defeat Israel’s Daniel Dubovenko, earning spots in the main draw alongside HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth.
With the women’s singles draw narrowed, Sindhu and Tanvi Sharma remain in contention, while the men’s side gains strength from the two successful qualifiers as the Arctic Open moves forward.
