During Thursday's French Open Super 750 in Rennes, PV Sindhu was forced to retire from her round-of-16 match against Supanida Katethong of Thailand due to knee problems, even though she was leading. The tournament also came to an end for world No. 1s and defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. They were knocked out in a high-drama match by Indonesian veterans Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, with a final score of 23-25, 21-19, 19-21. According to match data, Sindhu conceded the game at 21-18, 1-1, which is possibly a first-time occurrence of a mid-match retirement in her career.
PV Sindhu retired hurt from the French Open Super 750 tournament in Rennes on Thursday due to a knee issue while leading her round-of-16 match against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong. It was also the end of the campaign for defending champions and world No.1 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who were defeated in a thriller by Indonesian legends Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, 23-25, 21-19, 19-21. According to Badminton Statistics, Sindhu took the decision to end the match with a score of 21-18, 1-1. This is possibly the first time she has retired mid-match in her career.
Sindhu, currently ranked world No. 10, started strong by taking the first game 21-18. However, the two-time Olympic medalist suffered a knee injury after an overstretch when the second game was tied at 1-1. She noted that she had been pushing herself to the limit during her first-round win over Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, where she had to fight hard after losing the initial game. This exit follows a positive trend for the Indian player, who recently broke back into the top ten after reaching the semifinals in both Finland and Denmark.
The athlete shared on social media that withdrawing was a hard choice. She explained that she felt something wrong in her left knee during the first set but tried to push through it. As the pain persisted, she decided that the smartest move was to stop the match so she could get a proper medical evaluation from her physiotherapist.
Sindhu emphasized that she has always prioritized playing through discomfort and rarely takes medical timeouts. However, she stated that this time she needed to listen to her body. She also requested privacy, asking fans not to seek immediate updates as she doesn't have more information yet.
Later that day, Chirag and Satwik played their first event as the world's top pair since skipping the Denmark Open. They faced off against their idols, the legendary 'Daddies' of the circuit. It was an intense fight; the Indians nearly snatched the first game after trailing 13-18 and saving four game points, but Ahsan and Setiawan edged them out 25-23. Although the Indians bounced back to win the second game and led 10-7 in the final set, the veteran Indonesians staged a comeback to win. With both Sindhu and the doubles pair out, India's journey at the tournament ended.