Former world champion PV Sindhu made a strong start to her 2026 BWF World Championships campaign, defeating Ireland’s Sophia Noble 21-7, 21-11 in just 29 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
The World No. 9 Indian immediately took control of the contest, racing to an 8-0 lead in the opening game. Noble, making her World Championships debut, struggled to cope with Sindhu’s attacking game as the Indian comfortably closed out the first game 21-7.
The second game was more competitive, with Noble showing greater composure and reducing the deficit to 7-6. Sindhu, however, quickly regained control and led 11-8 at the interval. She then stepped up her intensity, winning 10 of the next 13 points to seal the game 21-11 and complete a convincing opening-round victory.
Sindhu, who won the World Championships title in 2019 and has five medals at the event, will now face a tougher challenge in the Round of 32. She is set to take on Canada’s World No. 49 Wen Yu Zhang.
Sindhu was among three Indian winners on the opening day. Women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also advanced after beating Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13.
In men’s doubles, M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan progressed after their Irish opponents retired during the opening-round match.
With the tournament being held in India, Sindhu will be aiming for another deep run and a chance to add to her impressive World Championships medal tally.
