Arctic Open: Srikanth, Prannoy crash out in first round in Finland

Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy were knocked out in the first round of the Arctic Open 2026. Tharun Mannepalli progressed in men's singles, while Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy secured a notable upset win in men's doubles.

Srikanth, Prannoy Suffer Early Exits

World Championships medallists Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy suffered first-round exits from the men’s singles event at the Arctic Open 2026 in Vantaa, Finland, on Wednesday, according to Olympics.com. Srikanth, ranked 31st in the world, won the opening game against Canada’s 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 Denmark’s Anders Antonsen. Prannoy struggled against the Dane and exited the tournament after losing 21-10, 21-9.

Upset Win in Men's Doubles

However, India enjoyed a notable result in men’s doubles as unseeded Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy upset fifth seeds He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu of the People’s Republic of China, according to Olympics.com. The Indian duo bounced back after losing the opening game to register a 10-21, 21-18, 22-20 victory in 61 minutes and progress to the round of 16.

Mixed Fortunes in Men's Singles

Tharun Mannepalli, meanwhile, kept India’s hopes alive in the men’s singles draw with a straight-game win over Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen. The Indian shuttler, who advanced to the main draw through the qualifiers on Tuesday, defeated Johannesen 21-16, 21-14 to book his place in the second round. Tharun will next face second-seed Christo Popov of France for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Rounak Chouhan, who also advanced to the main draw through the qualifiers, bowed out after a closely contested encounter against the People’s Republic of China’s Weng Hong Yang. Chouhan fought back after losing the opening game to force a decider, but Weng Hong Yang eventually prevailed 22-20, 20-22, 21-17.

Sindhu, Tanvi Sharma to Begin Campaign

In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Tanvi Sharma will begin their campaigns in the second round on Thursday. Sixth seed Sindhu will face Japan’s Riko Gunji, while Tanvi will take on top seed and former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. (ANI)

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