Indonesia Open 2026: PV Sindhu, Arjun-Hariharan Advance as India Endures Mixed Opening Day

India endured a mixed start to its Indonesia Open 2026 campaign on Tuesday, with PV Sindhu and the men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan advancing to the second round, while several other Indian shuttlers bowed out in the opening round of the Super 1000 tournament in Jakarta.

The day began positively for India as former world champion PV Sindhu registered a hard-fought straight-games victory over Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan to move into the Round of 16.

The women's singles contest proved to be a tightly fought affair from the outset, with both players matching each other point for point during the early exchanges. Sindhu gradually found her rhythm and entered the mid-game interval with an 11-8 advantage. The Indian looked set to close out the opening game comfortably when she moved ahead 19-14, but Busanan produced an impressive fightback, winning five consecutive points to level the scores at 19-19.

The momentum swung both ways as neither player was willing to concede. In the crucial moments, however, Sindhu displayed her experience and composure to edge the marathon opening game 25-23.

The second game followed a similar pattern initially, with the scores tied at 2-2 before Sindhu began dictating the rallies. The Indian established a commanding 11-6 lead at the interval and appeared firmly in control. Busanan once again mounted a comeback and levelled the scores at 12-12 after the restart, but Sindhu quickly regained control. Mixing her attack well and maintaining pressure from the baseline, the Indian closed out the second game 21-16 to seal her place in the next round.

Sindhu will now await the winner of the match between world No. 1 An Se Young and Natsuki Nidaira.

India's second victory of the day came in men's doubles, where MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan defeated Malaysia's Choong Hon Jian Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong in straight games. The Indian pair started strongly and built an early lead before the Malaysians fought back to stay within touching distance. Arjun and Hariharan held an 11-8 advantage at the mid-game interval and maintained their composure despite a brief Malaysian resurgence late in the game.

The Indians eventually secured the opening game 21-18.

The second game was a far more dominant display. Arjun and Hariharan controlled proceedings from the beginning, taking an 11-6 lead at the interval and never allowing their opponents back into the contest. Their aggressive attacking play and sharp net exchanges proved too much for the Malaysian pair as they stormed to a 21-10 victory.

The Indian duo will next face the winner of the first-round clash involving Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Malaysia's Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai.

Kidambi Srikanth suffered a disappointing straight-games defeat against Japan's Yushi Tanaka despite making a strong start to the match. The former world No. 1 dominated the early stages with a combination of powerful smashes and deceptive drop shots. He led 11-6 at the mid-game break and appeared well placed to take the opening game.

However, Tanaka gradually fought his way back into the contest and levelled the scores at 18-18 before snatching the game 21-19. The momentum shift proved decisive. In the second game, Tanaka established control early and carried an 11-8 lead into the interval. Although Srikanth attempted to stay in touch, the Japanese shuttler maintained his consistency to complete a 21-15 victory.

Lakshya Sen's campaign also ended in the opening round as he lost to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan in straight games. The match was played at a high intensity throughout, with both players producing aggressive attacking badminton and entertaining the home crowd. Farhan held a slender 11-10 advantage at the first interval before edging a closely contested opening game 21-19.

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The Indonesian raised his level in the second game and established an 11-8 lead midway through. Despite Lakshya's efforts to stay in contention, Farhan continued to dictate the pace and completed a 21-16 victory.

India's mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto suffered a disappointing 11-21, 10-21 defeat against China's sixth-seeded pair Feng Chen and Xiaoyu Guo. The Indians struggled to find their rhythm and were outplayed by the experienced Chinese combination.

In women's doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand returned to international competition after Treesa's injury layoff but could not overcome Indonesia's Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and Ribka Sugiarto. The Indian pair lost 14-21, 12-21 despite showing signs of promise, particularly during the early stages of the second game.

Malvika Bansod also exited the tournament after a straight-games defeat to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong. After a competitive start, the Thai shuttler took control and secured a comfortable 21-12, 21-10 victory. With only Sindhu and the men's doubles pair of Arjun and Hariharan progressing on the opening day, India will look for a stronger showing from the remaining contingent as the Indonesia Open 2026 continues in Jakarta.

All Indian Results on Day1

PV Sindhu defeated Busnan Onbamrungphan (Women’s Singles)- 25-23, 21-16

MR Arjun/Amsakarunan defeated Ayub/Tan (Men’s Doubles)- 21-18, 21-10

Kidambi Srikanth lost to Yushi Tanaka (Men’s Singles)- 19-21, 15-21

Lakshya Sen lost to Alwi Farhan (Men’s Singles)- 19-21, 16-21

Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto lost to Chen/Guo (Mixed Doubles)- 11-21, 10-21

Tressa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand lost to Sari/Kusuma (Women’s Doubles)- 14-21, 12-21

Malvika Bansod lost to Pornpawee Chocuwong (Women’s Singles)- 12-21, 10-21