Hylo Open 2026: Four Indian Women Reach Round of 16 as Kiran George Advances

India’s women’s singles contingent made a strong impression at the Hylo Open 2026, with four players progressing to the round of 16 at the BWF Super 500 tournament in Germany. 

PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, Isharani Baruah and Anmol Kharb all registered opening-round victories, while Ashmita Chaliha was among the Indians who exited the competition.

In men’s singles, Kiran George produced a straight-games victory over Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei, but India suffered multiple setbacks. HS Prannoy, Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian and Tharun Mannepalli all lost their opening-round matches, leaving George among the Indian men to progress.

The results offered a mixed picture for India, with the women’s singles campaign gathering momentum while the men’s draw saw several early exits.

Kiran George leads India’s men’s singles results

Kiran George secured a comfortable 21-18, 21-17 victory over Malaysia’s Cheam June Wei in just 35 minutes. George maintained control across both games to book his place in the round of 16, giving India a positive result in a challenging men’s singles draw.

HS Prannoy, however, could not overcome France’s Toma Junior Popov. Prannoy lost the opening game 21-23 before going down 16-21 in the second, exiting the tournament after a 47-minute contest. The narrow opening-game defeat proved costly as Popov completed the straight-game win.

Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian also bowed out after losing 11-21, 16-21 to Finland’s Kalle Koljonen in 37 minutes. The Indian was unable to close the gap in either game as Koljonen secured his place in the next round. Tharun Mannepalli suffered a similar fate against Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen. Mannepalli lost 15-21, 19-21 in a 41-minute match, with the second game offering a closer contest before his opponent sealed the victory.

With three Indian men eliminated in the opening round, George’s progress became particularly important for India’s remaining challenge in men’s singles.

PV Sindhu began her campaign with an emphatic 21-10, 21-10 victory over the United Arab Emirates’ Prakriti Bharath. The Indian controlled the contest from start to finish, winning both games by identical margins to secure a place in the pre-quarterfinals.

The result was an encouraging opening for Sindhu, who enters the tournament after reaching the final of the French Open 2026. Her recent performances have also helped her return to World No. 8 in the women’s singles rankings.

As one of the leading seeds in the draw, Sindhu will now look to carry her opening-round form into the knockout stages, where the quality of opposition is expected to increase.

Malvika Bansod wins an all-Indian battle

Malvika Bansod produced one of the notable comebacks of the opening round, defeating compatriot Devika Sihag 18-21, 21-10, 21-14 in 53 minutes.

Bansod, ranked World No. 47 in the supplied results, dropped the first game against World No. 34 Sihag, the Thailand Masters winner. However, she responded strongly in the second game, levelling the match with a convincing 21-10 win before taking control of the decider.

The victory kept Bansod’s campaign alive, while Sihag’s tournament ended earlier than expected. The all-Indian contest also underlined the depth of the country’s women’s singles field, where players are competing for opportunities to progress at Super 500 level.

Unnati Hooda had to recover from a difficult start before defeating Czechia’s Tereza Švabikova 17-21, 21-12, 21-11 in 49 minutes.

Ranked World No. 21, Hooda lost the opening game but raised her level significantly in the next two. She won the second 21-12 to force a decider and then closed out the match with an even more convincing 21-11 scoreline.

The win secured Hooda’s place in the round of 16 and demonstrated her ability to recover when under pressure. Like Bansod, she needed three games to progress, making her response after the opening-game loss a key feature of the result.

Isharani and Anmol complete India’s winning list

Isharani Baruah defeated Germany’s Miranda Wilson 21-19, 21-9 to advance. After a competitive opening game, Baruah pulled away in the second to complete the straight-games victory.

Anmol Kharb also secured her place in the pre-quarterfinals, beating Sri Lanka’s Ranthima 21-18, 22-20. The second game was particularly tight, but Kharb held her nerve to finish the match in straight games.

Kharb’s victory made her the fourth Indian women’s singles player to reach the round of 16, alongside Sindhu, Bansod, Hooda and Baruah.

Ashmita Chaliha, meanwhile, exited after losing to Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova 21-18, 12-21, 8-21. Chaliha took the opening game but could not sustain her advantage, with Nalbantova winning the next two games to complete the comeback.

The opening round delivered contrasting outcomes for India. Five women’s singles players advanced, including four who joined Sindhu in the next round, while George was the standout Indian performer among the men.

The immediate challenge will be to turn these opening victories into quarterfinal appearances. Sindhu’s authority, Bansod’s comeback, Hooda’s resilience and the wins by Baruah and Kharb provide India with several opportunities to progress.

With the tournament entering the round of 16, the remaining Indian shuttlers will need to maintain their momentum against increasingly difficult opposition.