India Open: PV Sindhu enters next round after defeating Ira Sharma; 7 players withdraw after testing Covid positive

In an all-Indian affair, Sindhu outclassed Ira Sharma 21-10, 21-10 to progress to the next round.

Sindhu was at her dominant self in the first game and she wrapped up the game inside 13 minutes.

Continuing from where she left off, the 26-year-old took full advantage of her momentum and ended up winning the match within 30 minutes.

Earlier, Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday confirmed that seven players have been withdrawn from the ongoing India Open 2022 after testing positive for COVID-19.

“The players returned a positive result to a mandatory RT-PCR test conducted on Tuesday. Doubles partners deemed close contact of the seven players have also been withdrawn from the tournament,” BWF said in a statement.

The seven players to test positive for COVID-19 were all Indians and they were — Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thakar, Treesa Jolly, Mithun Manjunath, Simran Aman Singhi, and Khushi Gupta.

According to BWF, the players will not be replaced in the main draw and their opponents will be given a walkover to the next round.

“Testing protocols have been implemented in accordance with Badminton World Federation and Badminton Association of India guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all participants,” the statement further read.