Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu has advanced to the second round of the women’s singles competition at the prestigious All England Championships. Her German opponent, Yvonne Li, retired after the completion of the first game on Tuesday.
Sindhu, the former world champion and current world No. 11, dominated the first game, winning 21-10. However, Li, ranked 26th in the world, decided to withdraw from the match due to an undisclosed reason.
The 28-year-old from Hyderabad will now face top seed An Se Young of Korea in the second round. An has been a formidable opponent for Sindhu, having defeated her in all six of their previous encounters.
An, who is recovering from a right knee injury, recently secured her second title of the season at the French Open last Sunday.
In the first game against Li, Sindhu and her opponent were initially neck-and-neck, tied at 4-4. However, Sindhu quickly pulled away, establishing an 11-7 lead at the break. She continued to extend her advantage, eventually winning the game when Li’s flick serve landed in the net.
Sindhu’s victory marks a positive start to her campaign at the All England Championships. She will be hoping to overcome her past struggles against An and advance to the later stages of the tournament.
