Denmark Open 2026: Tanvi Sharma, Treesa-Gayatri Exit Ends India's Run
Tanvi Sharma and Treesa-Gayatri exit the Denmark Open 2026, ending India's run at the BWF Super 750 tournament.
The Indian badminton contingent's journey at the Denmark Open 2026 came to an abrupt halt on Friday, as the final remaining hopes of the country crashed out in the quarter-finals. Both Tanvi Sharma in the women's singles and the duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand in the women's doubles suffered defeats, marking the end of India's campaign at the BWF Super 750 event in Odense.
Tanvi Sharma Falls to World No. 1
Tanvi Sharma, ranked 24th in the world, carried the weight of India's hopes as the last shuttler left in the tournament. Facing the formidable world No. 1 and top seed, An Se-young of the Republic of Korea, Tanvi started the match with promise. However, the reigning Olympic and world champion proved too strong for the Indian youngster.
The match, which lasted 38 minutes, saw An Se-young dominate the court, securing a straight-games victory with a scoreline of 21-15, 21-13. While Tanvi showed flashes of brilliance in her first encounter with the Korean star, she struggled to maintain the momentum required to challenge the top seed.
Heartbreak for Treesa-Gayatri
Earlier in the day, the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand faced a grueling three-game battle against the Malaysian duo of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. Ranked 18th in the world, the Indian pair appeared to be on the verge of an upset early on.
Treesa and Gayatri took a commanding 11-7 lead in the first game and comfortably closed it out 21-14. Their momentum carried into the second game, where they established a 14-11 lead. However, the world No. 5 Malaysian pair staged a resilient comeback to claim the second game 21-17, forcing a decider.
In the final game, the Malaysians took complete control, winning 21-11 to knock the Indians out. This defeat served as a recurring nightmare for Treesa and Gayatri, as the same Malaysian pair had eliminated them in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games 2026 in Japan just earlier this month.
A Tough Tournament for India
The quarter-final exits were the final blow in a challenging tournament for the Indian squad. Several high-profile players were eliminated in the very first round, including:
- PV Sindhu
- Lakshya Sen
- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
- Unnati Hooda
- Ayush Shetty
Kidambi Srikanth managed a slightly deeper run, progressing to the second round of the men's singles before falling to the reigning world champion, Alex Lanier of France.
Despite the disappointment in Denmark, the Indian shuttlers will have little time to dwell on the losses as they shift their focus to the French Open, which is scheduled to take place from October 20 to 25.