New Delhi: Five-time world medallist PV Sindhu had a disappointing end to her BWF World Championships campaign, losing in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
Sindhu fell short in a hard-fought, 88-minute, three-game battle against World No. 3 Wang Zhiyi, losing 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 to end India’s campaign in the women’s singles event.
In a rematch of last year’s World Championships pre-quarterfinal, where Sindhu had beaten Wang, the Chinese shuttler got her revenge this time and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Reflecting on the match, Sindhu said: “You can’t win all the time, but you should take it well. I should have stayed patient as it was going well and I should have been patient.”
The result marked Sindhu’s first defeat to a Chinese shuttler at the World Championships, ending her previous unbeaten record of eight wins against Chinese opponents at the event.
An Injury break shatters the rhythm
Sindhu made a poor start to the match, struggling to convert her smashes as Wang defended well and forced her into errors.
“Disappointed and sad about it. I should have converted it. Once you lose, you have to deal with it,” Sindhu said about the chances she missed.
After the change of ends, Sindhu looked much better from the near side of the court, finding more power in her smashes and making them travel at greater speed.
Although she did not concede a lead in the second game, the contest remained close for most of it, with the scores tied at 15-15. Sindhu then won the final six points, producing some beautiful winners while Wang committed a few unforced errors to level the match.
In the third game, Sindhu carried that momentum forward and made a strong start, racing to a 6-2 lead. However, Wang continued to fight and forced Sindhu into a few errors to level the score at 10-10.
After the final mid-game break, the gritty battle continued, with both players using the width of the court to attack with their forehands and backhands and catch each other off guard.
At 17-17, the match was briefly paused after Wang fell on court with what appeared to be cramps in her left leg. Sindhu was unsure whether Wang was genuinely struggling with cramps or using the stoppage to disrupt her momentum, but she admitted that she should have remained composed.
“I don’t know if she is injured or not; I think that is her gameplay, but I should have been more patient,” Sindhu said about the brief pause in the final game.
Whatever the reason, the stoppage successfully disrupted Sindhu’s rhythm. She made a couple of unforced errors before Wang sealed the match with a precise cross-court net drop to silence the Indian crowd.
With this defeat, Sindhu’s wait for a sixth World Championships medal has been extended by at least another year, but the Indian shuttler remains determined to continue her pursuit.
Her immediate target is the Asian Games, which are just a month away. Sindhu will look to take the lessons from this defeat and work on them ahead of the quadrennial event.
“More determined to win; it is disappointing to lose. The last three points changed the game; I need to go back and check,” Sindhu said about her plans ahead of the Asian Games.
