Indian badminton star PV Sindhu commenced her Paris Olympics campaign with a commanding victory, defeating Fathimath Abdul Razzaq of the Maldives in a decisive two-set match.
The encounter, part of the women's singles group stage, saw Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, easily overcome her opponent, taking just 29 minutes to win 21-9, 21-6 in the Group M fixture.
Sindhu, currently ranked 13th in the world, quickly established her dominance, surging to an 11-4 lead after overcoming a few early unforced errors. Her opponent, ranked 111th, struggled to keep pace, and Sindhu wrapped up the first game in just 13 minutes.
The second game followed a similar trajectory, with Sindhu taking an early lead by winning the first four points. Although Razzaq momentarily narrowed the score to 3-4, Sindhu soon pulled ahead, extending her lead to 10-3. The match concluded swiftly as Sindhu, holding 14 match points, needed only one to secure the victory.
Sindhu, seeded 10th in the tournament, is aiming for her third Olympic medal, having won silver at the Rio 2016 Games and bronze in Tokyo 2020. She will next face World No. 75 Kristin Kuuba of Estonia in her second group stage match on Wednesday.