PV Sindhu loses to Ratchanok Intanon in Arctic Open quarter-finals
Synopsis
PV Sindhu was knocked out of the Arctic Open 2026 after a three-game quarter-final defeat to Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon. India's campaign ended as the men's doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy also lost.
Indian star shuttler PV Sindhu crashed out of the Arctic Open 2026 after suffering a three-game defeat to Thailand’s world No. 5 Ratchanok Intanon in the women’s singles quarter-finals in Vantaa, Finland, on Friday, according to Olympics.com. The sixth-seeded Sindhu went down 21-11, 19-21, 21-18 against top seed Intanon, a former world champion, in a closely fought encounter. The loss marked Sindhu’s 10th defeat in 14 meetings against Intanon, who has now won their last six encounters.
Later on Friday, India’s campaign at the BWF Super 500 tournament came to an end after Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy also suffered defeat in the men’s doubles quarter-finals, according to Olympics.com.
A Three-Game Thriller
Sindhu made a slow start in the opening game as Intanon raced to a 5-1 lead. The Indian shuttler fought back to reduce the deficit to 11-8 at the interval, but Intanon won 10 of the next 13 points after the break to take the game.
Sindhu responded strongly in the second game, leading at the interval before opening up a 17-14 advantage. Intanon then claimed five consecutive points to move ahead, but Sindhu won the next four points and forced a decider.
The final game remained closely contested, with the scores level at 17-17. Intanon then won three successive points to earn match point and converted her second opportunity to seal the victory.
Men's Doubles Defeat
Meanwhile, Krishna Prasad Garaga and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy exited the tournament after losing 21-13, 21-14 to Denmark’s Christian Faust Kjær and Rasmus Kjær in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.
Indian shuttlers will next be in action at the Denmark Open 2026, which begins on Tuesday.