The 2025 Singapore Open Super 750 began with a blend of promise and heartbreak for Indian badminton.
Headlining the action was PV Sindhu, who made a commanding start to her campaign with a clinical win, while the day also marked a historic moment with seven Indian women participating in the main draw of a Super 750 event — a first for Indian badminton.
Sindhu Makes Light Work of Zhang
PV Sindhu, India’s badminton stalwart and two-time Olympic medallist, looked in complete control during her opening round clash against Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang. The 28-year-old took just 31 minutes to dispatch her opponent 21-14, 21-9 in what turned out to be a comfortable and routine outing. Sindhu controlled the net exchanges, dictated pace from the backcourt, and kept the rallies short — an ideal start to a long week ahead.
While Zhang attempted to rally with aggression, she was unable to break through Sindhu’s calm and calculated rhythm. The Indian ace barely looked stretched, using the opportunity to work on her match sharpness before what will be a true test of her form and fitness in the next round.
Up next is a blockbuster clash against world No. 5 and Olympics champion Chen Yu Fei, who stands as one of the most consistent performers on the circuit. Their head-to-head has often been closely contested, and with Sindhu returning from a mixed early-season run, this match will be a key indicator of her readiness for the Paris 2025 cycle.
Historic Day for Indian Women’s Badminton
Apart from Sindhu’s win, the 2025 edition of the Singapore Open is being remembered for a landmark achievement: seven Indian women competing in the main draw of a Super 750 event. This unprecedented milestone highlights the growing depth in Indian women’s singles — a category that has long been dependent on the likes of Sindhu and Saina Nehwal.
The Indian contingent in the women’s singles includes:
- PV Sindhu
- Malvika Bansod
- Aakarshi Kashyap
- Anupama Upadhyay
- Unnati Hooda
- Anmol Kharb
- Rakshitha Sree Ramraj
Though all eyes were on Sindhu, this moment underlines the development at the grassroots and the aggressive push by Indian badminton to build a deeper bench in women’s singles. While many of these names are still finding their footing on the senior circuit, the exposure at this level will be invaluable for their development.
Missed Opportunities for Indian Pairs
However, it wasn’t all bright news for the Indian camp.
In a match that will haunt her, Malvika Bansod surrendered a 16-10 lead in the second game to go down 21-14, 18-21, 11-21 against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong. After a dominant start, Bansod couldn’t hold her nerve in the crunch moments and allowed the Thai to claw back into the match. The loss highlights the need for consistency under pressure — a common challenge among India’s emerging talent.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto fell to the experienced Chinese pair Cheng/Zhang in straight games (18-21, 13-21), failing to bring their recent momentum onto the big stage.
The Indian mixed doubles challenge suffered another blow when Ashith Surya and Amruta Pramod were outplayed 11-21, 17-21 by Japan’s Yuichi/Sayaka. Despite showing flashes of promise, the pair was outclassed in speed and anticipation.
All eyes now turn to PV Sindhu’s second-round clash against Chen Yu Fei. A win there could potentially set up a tantalising quarterfinal with An Se Young, the top seed and current world No. 1 — a player Sindhu has not beaten in their last few encounters. But the path to the podium never promised to be easy, and for Sindhu, this is the kind of challenge she lives for.
As for the rest of the Indian contingent, the focus must shift to capitalising on opportunities, staying consistent through matches, and building from here. The experience of playing in a Super 750 draw — and learning from close matches — will pay dividends in future events.
The Singapore Open 2025 is off to an eventful start. PV Sindhu’s dominant first-round win sets the tone, but tougher battles await. Meanwhile, the historic presence of seven Indian women in the singles main draw speaks volumes of the sport’s progress back home.
For now, Sindhu carries the flag forward. All of India will be watching closely as she steps onto the court again, hoping to upset the Olympic champion and continue her march in Singapore.
