BWF World Championship: Indian shuttlers HS Prannoy, Sindhu advance to next round

India's HS Prannoy progressed to the Round of 32 in the men's singles category at the ongoing BWF World Championships 2025 on Tuesday (August 26). Prannoy, 33, battled past Finland's Joakim Oldorff in a tough test, beating him 21-18, 21-15 in a match that lasted 47 minutes. World no. 34 Prannoy was put to the test early by 47th-ranked German Denis Daniel Oldorff, aged 22.

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Finn came out blazing, leading 7-5 with deft footwork and precise shot placement. But Prannoy remained unflustered, bringing himself level at 8-8 and slowly wresting advantage. He was ahead 14-11 at the mid-game break, and though Oldorff managed to bring the game to 17-all, Prannoy edged ahead with three successive points to seal the first game 21-18 in 24 minutes of gruelling action. Oldorff once more displayed resistance in the second game, coming back to tie 8-8 from 4-7 down. Prannoy regained dominance, though, by going 11-8 up at the interval and holding a consistent lead to win the match 21-15.

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Meanwhile, in the women's singles category, PV Sindhu also advanced to the Round of 32 following a 23-21, 21-6 victory over Bulgaria's Kaloyan Nalbantova in 39 minutes. The two Olympic medalist demonstrated her tenacity in the first game, which was well-fought. Having been tied 21-all, Sindhu steadied her nerves to gain the upper hand and win the opener. The 2019 World Champion went on to command the second game, beating Nalbantova with ruthless accuracy to claim a 15-point win. Sindhu, having a full collection of World Championships medals — one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes — is India's best hope for a medal in Paris. She will play Malaysia's Karupathevan Leshata in the next round.