Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu continued her campaign at the BWF World Championships 2025 badminton in Paris with a hard-fought victory over Malaysia’s Karupathevan Letshanaa on Wednesday.
The 15th-seeded Indian badminton player overcame a sluggish start to prevail 21-19, 21-15 in a 43-minute contest in the round of 32 match.
Sindhu, who claimed the badminton world title in 2019, has now reached the third round of the World Championships for the first time since her 2021 quarter-final run.
The match saw Sindhu trail 3-9 and later 12-18 in the first game. The Indian responded with a run of six straight points to edge ahead and eventually close out the opener 21-19. In the second game, she dictated the rallies against the world No. 40 Letshanaa.
Sindhu will next face world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of the People’s Republic of China, a player she last defeated in 2022 but has fallen to in their two most recent meetings.
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the ninth seeds in men’s doubles, showcased their trademark attacking style against Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han.
After a nail-biting first game that ended 22-20, they controlled the second 21-13 to reach the round of 16, where they will meet sixth seeds Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China.
The Indian pair had a four-point lead at 20-16 in the opening game before Liu and Yang forced a 20-all tie. Satwik and Chirag then sealed the game with two straight points.
In the second game, the duo quickly built a decisive lead and maintained it to complete the victory.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced comfortably, defeating Ireland’s Joshua Magee and Moya Ryan 21-11, 21-16 in just 35 minutes.
The 16th-seeded Indian pair will face fifth seeds Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong China in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, it was the end of the campaign for Ruthvika Gadde and Rohan Kapoor in the mixed doubles. The world No. 33 Indian pair lost to the fourth-ranked Malaysian pair 21-16, 21-11 in the second round.
India has won at least one medal at every edition of the Badminton World Championships since 2011.