PV Sindhu is the first Indian player to become the badminton world champion. At the very young age of 27, she has already become the most successful sportsperson of India. From winning medals at various tournaments to achieving several national awards, she has been completely sensational in badminton.

The world No.7 is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic games. She has won gold medal at the 2019 World Championships. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, she represented India and became the first Indian badminton player to reach the Olympic final. So in her 27th birthday, let's recall some records held by the young talent of Indian Badminton.

PV Sindhu records:

• PV Sindhu is the first Indian singles player to win gold in BWF World Championship. She defeated Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the final by 21-7, 21-7 in 2019 to achieve the gold. Before getting this achievement, she had already won two silvers in the 2017 and 2018 events.

• Sindhu won BWF World Tour finals only at the age of 24. She beat Nozomi Okuhara in the final by 21-19, 21-17 and set a record of winning the World Tour final for the first time in Indian Badminton history.
• Sindhu is considered as the most energetic player of all time. During the 2017 World Championships, she set a record of playing the longest World Championships final. She played the match for 110 minutes against Okuhara but couldn't manage to win, the Japanese player defeated her by 21-19, 20-22, 22-20.
• Speaking of Olympic, Sindhu made India proud by winning silver at the Olympic. She is first Indian singles player to win silver in Olympic. Besides, Sindhu achieved the feat during the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as won bronze in the 2020 olympics.
• Sindhu's achievements in the World Championships knows no boundaries as she holds another record of winning five World Championships medal. She is the only Indian to hold five World Championships medal- Gold(2019), Silver (2012 and 2018), Bronze (2013 and 2014), and Silver(2021).
• Sindhu had earned silver medal in the 2018 Asian games. She defeated Japanese opponent Akane Yamaguchi by 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 and qualify for the historic final. She is the first Indian to reach the final
• In the 2018 Commonwealth games, the world No.7 again won silver by defeating Michelle Li in the final. But unfortunately lost to Saina Nehwal in the final.

Indian star shuttler PV Sindhu has been eliminated from the Indonesia Open 2025 badminton tournament after losing in the round of 16. She was defeated badly by Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday.

Sindhu shows tremendous fight in first two games

PV Sindhu started the match brilliantly. She won the first game 22-20. She did not give any chance to the opponent to recover in this game. Pornpawee Chochuwong had no answer to Sindhu's aggressive returns as the score read 10-16 in favour in the first game. However, the tables turned completely in the second game.

Where Sindhu looked set to lose the first game, she pulled it right back in to clinch it, as the score read 22-20. After winning the first game, where Sindhu hoped to capitalise, Chochuwong was quick to turn it around, dominating Sindhu in the game, winning it by 21-10; furthermore, she went on to win the third game by 21-18, as Sindhu was eliminated from the Indonesia Open 2025 badminton tournament.

Satwik-Chirag enter quarterfinals

On the other hand, Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came back from a game down to notch up a win to enter the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open 2025.

Satwik-Chirag beat Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard 16-21, 21-18, 22-20 in a match lasting one hour and eight minutes in the BWF Super 1000 tournament.

Treesa-Gayatri lost

The women’s doubles duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also lost 13-21, 22-24 to Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto of Japan in the round of 16 stage.

In mixed doubles, Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath exited after a straight-game loss against Thailand’s Dechapol Puavarankuroh and Supissara Paewsampran. The scoreline read 21-7, 21-12 in favour of the Thai shuttlers, who wrapped up the match in just 25 minutes.

The Indian men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty performed brilliantly in the Singapore Open 2025 badminton tournament, making it to the semifinals with a straight-game win over world No. 1 Malaysian duo of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin on Friday.

Also Read : Kidambi Srikanth Stuns Yushi Tanaka to Reach Malaysia Masters Final, First Since 2019

The Indian pair, which has been facing fitness challenges for some time, showed excellent performance in this match. The Indian pair displayed rock-solid defence and controlled the front court with precision to register a 21-17, 21-15 win in a 39-minute quarterfinal clash at the Singapore Open 2025 Super 750 badminton tournament.

Third semifinal of the season

This is their third semifinal appearance of the season, having reached the last-four stage at both the Malaysia and India Open earlier this year.

The former world No. 1 Indians held a 6-2 head-to-head record against the Malaysians going into the match, although they had lost their most recent meeting at the India Open.

Match Report

The match began with two service faults in the first four points and featured short rallies as both pairs looked to execute angled returns and attack at the earliest opportunity. As a result, the score moved evenly from 1-1 to 7-7 before the Indians gained a three-point cushion at the interval, with Satwik dictating the serve and third shot.

The Indian pair maintained the pressure to go up 15-11 before Satwik committed a service error and Izzuddin unleashed a jump smash to narrow the gap to 13-15. A brutal forehand smash from Satwik pushed India ahead at 18-15. Izzuddin then hit one wide, and Chirag, who had earlier sent a shot long, redeemed himself with a straight smash to earn three game points.

Goh buried a service return into the net, handing the Indians the opening game and the early advantage. Chirag made a few errors early in the second game, but the Indians did well to keep pace in the high-speed exchanges, with the score level at 6-6.

Satwik and Chirag then reeled off four consecutive points before an unforced error halted their momentum. A body blow from Chirag forced a weak return from Izzuddin into the net, giving India a four-point lead at the interval. A sharp backhand at the net took the Indians to 15-9 after the break. Satwik then sent down a thunderous smash to make it 16-10.

Though the Indians committed a few unforced errors, Satwik produced another fierce return to earn five match points. They sealed the win after another error from their opponents.

India's experienced shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Friday booked his berth in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament. Srikanth is now the only Indian in the tournament.

Also Read: India’s Next Badminton Superstar: The Rising Stars to Watch in 2025

First semi-final in a year

Against world number 65, Srikanth defeated France's 18th seed Toma Junior Popov 24-22, 17-21, 22-20 in a match that lasted one hour and 14 minutes. Former world number one Srikanth will have to overcome the challenge of Japan's Yushi Tanaka to make it to the Malaysia Masters 2025 final. Tanaka defeated Toma Junior's brother Christo Popov 21-18, 16-21, 21-6.

This will be the first semi-final in a year for World Championship and Asian Games silver medalist Srikanth.

Srikanth made inspiring comeback to seal the contest

The Indian badminton player made a brisk start, surging to a 7-4 lead in the opening game, only for Popov to claw his way back. It was the French shuttler who held a game point opportunity at 21-20, but Srikanth turned the tide to snatch the opener.

Srikanth trailed by four points at the break in the second game. He drew level at 15-15 but lost steam as the match went into the decider.

Srikanth was also four points behind his opponent in the third midgame break of the match, but this time, he mounted an inspiring comeback to seal the contest. It was his fourth win over Toma Junior Popov from six meetings.

Also Read: Indian Badminton players struggle with the slow court: Here is why

Kapila-Crasto's journey ends in quarter-finals

In the other semi-final, fourth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan and second seed Li Shi Feng of China will face each other. In mixed doubles, the journey of the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto came to an end in the quarter-finals. Kapila and Crasto lost to top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China 22-24, 13-21 in 35 minutes.

Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen crashed out in the first round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament while Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advanced to the second round of the women's singles after winning tough matches in the Super 500 tournament.

Unnati faces a tough challenge

Unnati Hooda faces a tough challenge against top seed Pornpawee Chochuwong, while Malvika Bansod takes on former world champion and seasoned Thai shuttler Ratchanok Intanon in the second round.

Aakarshi Kashyap completes the women's singles trio as she looks to continue her campaign. In the men’s singles draw, Tharun Mannepalli remains the lone Indian hope.

Lakshya and Priyanshu suffered early exits

In the men's singles, both Lakshya Sen and Priyanshu Rajawat suffered early exits, bowing out in the first round. The women’s singles saw better fortunes, with Aakarshi Kashyap, Unnati Hooda, and Malvika Bansod progressing to the second round, while Anupama Upadhyay and Santosh Ramraj were eliminated.

Lakshya Sen was ousted by Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in a three-game encounter that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. Sen, ranked among India’s top badminton talents, went down 18-21, 21-9, 17-21 in a match that saw momentum swings.

After narrowly losing the opening game, Sen responded with a dominating performance in the second, unleashing sharp smashes and fast-paced rallies to level the match. But Nguyen dug deep in the decider, pulling ahead 17-13 and holding his composure in the pressure moments to complete the upset and move into the second round. India’s men’s singles woes were compounded by Priyanshu Rajawat’s exit, as he fell short in another three-game battle, losing 13-21, 21-17, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.

Kidambi Srikanth could not qualify for main round

Earlier, former world no.1 Kidambi Srikanth could not qualify for the main round of the Thailand Open 2025 badminton tournament after losing his second match in the qualifiers on Tuesday.

Srikanth, a world championships silver medallist, defeated Sankar Subramanian 21-15, 21-17 in his first round of qualifiers before losing to Tharun Mannepalli 21-16, 21-19 in the second.

PUMA has roped in the Indian Badminton sensation PV Sindhu as its new brand ambassador, partnering in a multi-year deal. 

The German Sports Apparel brand has chosen India as the first country to expand its orbit in the world of sports, marking its official appearance in Badminton. 

Ahead of the announcement, PUMA has executed a pioneering move, changing its brand signage to 'PVMA'  at several official stores in the country for almost a week.

 

 

 

 

 

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PV Sindhu becomes the new brand ambassador of PUMA 

PV Sindhu is undoubtedly one of the greatest Indian badminton icons of this generation, surging the excitement of the game into millions of fans in India. The two-time Olympic medalist has achieved numerous accolades throughout her career, popularizing the game among Indian sports fanatics.

Sindhu has not only become the first Indian to conquer five badminton world championship medals, but also she has earned noteworthy honours such as the Khel Ratna, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Arjuna Award.

However, Sindhu's unparalleled achievements have injected interest among the youth, and PUMA has adopted the plan to capitalize on the popularity of the 29-year-old. 

According to the Google-Deloitte Think Sports report from 2024, India has a growing fanbase of Badminton, which stands at nearly 57 million. 

PUMA adopted an unprecedented marketing strategy to draw the interest of Indian sports fans, changing their brand name to 'PVMA' in several stores and many billboards across India for almost a week.

This move left the netizens and fans wondering as some speculated the possibility of onboarding PV Sindhu, whereas the partnership has been made official today. 

Many PUMA stores across India have changed their logo and branding to “PVMA”.
This change can be seen in the Indian website as well.

What’s happening? 👀 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ecPbCe2WzW

— sid (@immasiddx) January 11, 2025

However, The partnership between PUMA and Sindhu will debut at the India Open 2025 in New Delhi. This exciting collaboration will bring a high-performance badminton range soon, featuring specialized footwear, apparel, and accessories. 

Sindhu has expressed her elation regarding this move, stating the following.

I’m excited to join the PUMA family, a brand that shares my belief in the power of sport to inspire. This partnership with PUMA India isn’t just about being part of something bigger—it is an opportunity to connect with those who value pushing boundaries and embracing challenges.

“Badminton has always been a platform for growth and self-discovery for me, and through this collaboration, I hope to encourage others, especially women, to take risks, believe in themselves, and strive for more—both on and off the court,

Karthik Balagopalan, Managing Director of PUMA India, said:

PV Sindhu is a legend and a trailblazer, and we are proud & delighted to welcome her into our PUMA family. She is the most followed badminton athlete in the world. Her extraordinary legacy in Indian sports which includes a lot of historic firsts has not only placed India on the badminton map globally but has also inspired millions, pushed the boundaries, and paved the way for future generations of athletes.

“As we make our first-ever step into badminton, this association will further our goal to increase PUMA’s footprint in the rapidly growing sports landscape in the country, inspiring more youngsters to take up the racquet-sport,