It was heartbreak for PV Sindhu at the Badminton World Championships as she went down in three games against China’s Wang Zhi Yi, who prevailed 21-11, 15-21, 21-17 in a gripping Round-of-16 contest. Playing at her 11th World Championships, Sindhu entered the match with a 3-5 head-to-head record against Wang. Towards the end of the match, in the third game, with the scores level at 16-16, Wang appeared injured. She fell to the ground on a number of occasions and clutched her thigh.
After the loss, PV Sindhu wondered whether Wang was actually injured or if the medical timeout was part of a strategy. “I don’t know if she’s injured or not, maybe that is her strategy or her way of doing it. You never know. Maybe that’s her gameplay, but I had to be very focused and very patient and, you know, focus on every point. So, yeah, I think the last three points just changed the game, is what I felt. I should have been a little patient,” Sindhu said after the match.
The two traded some good rallies early on, splitting the first 14 points. At 8-7, a gruelling 41-shot rally ended with Wang finding a precise drop at the forecourt. Sindhu responded with a superb slow drop from the back line. With that, Sindhu’s hopes of winning an unprecedented sixth World Championships medal came to an end.
A lovely return of serve gave Sindhu a two-point advantage at the mid-game interval.
The Chinese player then surged ahead 14-9 before spraying one into the net. Unforced errors began to haunt Sindhu as she slipped 10-18 behind. She responded with two sharp cross-court smashes to stay afloat, but another attempt floated long to make it 19-11 in Wang’s favour.
Wang earned nine game points when Sindhu found the net again. The Indian then faltered in a net duel, allowing the opening game to slip away.
Sindhu started the second game strongly, moving 3-0 up after the change of sides. At 5-3, she sent a lift long after a 47-shot rally but responded immediately with a superb cross-court return that left Wang stranded.
However, Sindhu’s unforced errors, including shots into the net and wide of the sidelines, allowed Wang to stay within touching distance at 7-9. The Indian managed to take a three-point lead into the interval after Wang sailed one long.
Wang quickly erased the deficit with three points after Sindhu made errors at the net and from the back line. Sindhu was polished around the net, but simple mistakes made it difficult for her to sustain the pressure.
Wang looked to inject pace into the rallies and soon narrowed the gap to 12-13 with a smash. Sindhu responded with a forehand cross-court smash, followed by another brutal winner after a long rally, restoring her lead at 15-13.
Two powerful smashes from Wang made it 15-15. But the Chinese player then sprayed two shots wide as Sindhu moved to 17-15. A follow-up push near the net earned her another point, leaving her just two points away from forcing a decider.
Wang then lifted long to hand Sindhu five game points. She failed to negotiate a tight net dribble on the next point, and the match went to a decider.
Sindhu carried the momentum into the third game, opening up leads of 4-1 and then 7-4. She dictated the pace and attacked whenever the opportunity presented itself. But a few errors, including missed sidelines, a smash into the net, and a shot that went long, gradually allowed Wang to claw her way back to 7-8.
Wang, who had been constantly talking to herself throughout the match, unleashed a smash to make it 9-9.
Sindhu responded with two powerful smashes and pumped her fist but then lifted long to make it 10-10. A misjudgement from Wang gave Sindhu an 11-10 lead going into the interval.
Sindhu extended her advantage to 13-10, but Wang once again fought back. A body smash, followed by a wide shot from Sindhu, put Wang ahead. Another error from the Indian, this time into the net, handed Wang five straight points.
A down-the-line smash from Sindhu finally ended the run, making it 15-15. Wang then went long, allowing Sindhu to regain the lead at 16-15 after another missed sideline.
Sindhu hit wide on the next point, and while chasing the shuttle, Wang fell flat on the court and immediately clutched her thigh after appearing to suffer a cramp. Following a medical timeout, Wang returned to action with the score level at 16-16.
Sindhu’s net error was cancelled out by a misjudgement from Wang on the sideline.
A smash put Wang ahead 18-17. Another excruciating 54-shot rally followed, ending with Sindhu going long. Wang, however, was now clutching her right thigh.
Sindhu then smashed into the net to hand Wang three match points. The Chinese player let out a scream before collapsing on the court after winning the next point.
With PTI inputs
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