French Open: PV Sindhu edged Supanida Katethong in three games after surrendering a commanding lead and surviving a dramatic late fightback. The hard-earned victory sends the Indian into a second-round meeting with Japan's Riko Gunji.PV Sindhu progressed to the second round of French Open 2026 (PTI Photo) PV Sindhu had a commanding lead in the deciding game, only to see it nearly disappear before she scraped through a tense first-round match at the French Open on Wednesday.

The Indian shuttler was candid about the struggle afterwards, admitting that she needed the win despite a performance that left plenty to work on.Sindhu beat Thailand's Supanida Katethong 21-14, 8-21, 23-21 in a 64-minute contest to reach the second round of the prestigious Super 750 tournament. After the match, she took to X to reflect on a roller-coaster evening, acknowledging her opponent's fightback and the moments that nearly cost her the match."Some matches you just have to find a way to win.

Today was one of those," Sindhu wrote.The two-time Olympic medallist appeared in control in the deciding game, opening up a commanding 19-8 lead. But Katethong mounted a remarkable comeback, winning 11 consecutive points to draw level at 19-19 and put Sindhu under immense pressure.

The Indian eventually held her nerve to close out the game 23-21 and avoid an early exit in Paris."Credit to Supanida, she made me fight for every point. I felt like I was trying to impose my game throughout, but somehow things kept slipping away," Sindhu wrote, adding that she would review the footage to identify what needed to change. "Even that challenge at 21-20, the shuttle clipping the line by a hair's breadth!

Some days God really makes you fight for it," she wrote."I needed this win. End of story."Sindhu was also clear-eyed about the performance, describing it as "not the prettiest" and acknowledging that there was plenty to reflect on."Not the prettiest, plenty to reflect on, but happy to be through.

Recovery underway, another battle tomorrow."One match at a time," she said. Screengrab from X The victory sends Sindhu into the second round, where she is scheduled to face Japan's Riko Gunji.

The Indian will need to sharpen her game after a match in which she struggled to convert a sizeable advantage into a comfortable finish.SINDHU VS RIKO GUNJIEarlier in the day, Unnati Hooda went down to Japan's Riko Gunji 18-21, 21-12, 17-21 in a contest that lasted an hour and eight minutes.Both Sindhu and Gunji will enter their second-round clash after enduring three-game battles in their openers. Sindhu, however, holds the head-to-head advantage, having beaten the world No.

19 twice this year, both times in straight games.Another Indian, Tanvi Sharma, who defeated compatriot Isharani Baruah in straight games on Tuesday, will face world No. 1 An Se Young on Thursday.

Ashmita Chaliha, meanwhile, is set to take on third seed Akane Yamaguchi.Lakshya Sen, who was scheduled to face sixth seed Kodai Naraoka, handed his opponent a walkover. The reason for Sen's withdrawal is yet to be known.Sindhu's win was particularly important for India after men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashed out in the first round on Tuesday.

The world No. 5 Indian pair fought back to take the second game against French duo Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov, but eventually lost 19-21, 21-18, 13-21 in a match lasting just over an hour on Tuesday.- Ends