Sindhu falls to nemesis An Se Young; Satwik-Chirag in semis

India’s PV Sindhu lacked the consistency required to trouble world number 1 An Se Young for sustained periods, going down in the quarterfinals but ace men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty moved into the semifinals with a hard-fought win at the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Friday.

The two-time Olympic medallist showed flashes of her attacking best and managed to put the Korean under pressure in phases, but An’s superior control, movement and ability to win the crucial points ensured another comfortable 21-17 21-14 victory in their lopsided rivalry.

The loss extended Sindhu’s winless run against the reigning Olympic champion to nine matches. Across those meetings, the Indian has managed to take a game off An only once, at the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships.

Satwik and Chirag, the Asian Games champion and fourth seeds here, came from a game down to get the better of Malaysia’s Khai Xing Kang and Aaron Tai 19-21 21-17 21-13 in a gruelling contest that lasted one hour and five minutes.

The Indian pair will now be up against top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of Korea, who defeated seventh seeded Japanese combination of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-19, 21-18.

Sindhu vs An Se Young: The challenge was always formidable for Sindhu against an opponent who has lost just one match this year after suffering only four defeats in the whole of 2025, underlining the Korean’s remarkable dominance on the world circuit.

Sindhu looked intent on taking the attack to An from the outset, using her powerful smashes and early interceptions to dictate rallies whenever possible.

However, the Indian trailed 7-11 at the mid-game interval in the opening game before clawing her way back to 13-14 with a series of aggressive returns and attacking strokes.

While Sindhu’s proactive approach helped her stay in contention, An’s command at the net and ability to absorb pressure allowed her to regain control. A body smash and a round-the-head winner helped Sindhu narrow the gap to 16-18 before she won the longest rally of the match to make it 17-19.

But an untimely wide shot handed An three game points, and the Korean wrapped up the opener when Sindhu sent another return long.

The second game began disastrously for Sindhu as An stormed to a 6-0 lead. The Indian gradually found her rhythm, reducing the deficit to 6-8 with a smash winner, a long return from An and a net-touch fault by the Korean.

An soon restored her advantage and led 11-7 at the break after producing a precise cross-court winner that left Sindhu stranded.

The Indian made an aggressive start after the interval and stayed within striking distance at 11-14 before winning a gruelling 30-shot rally to close the gap to 12-14.

However, a few unforced errors at crucial moments halted her momentum. As her attacking accuracy dipped, Sindhu slipped to 13-18 and struggled to contain An’s relentless precision.

The Korean repeatedly moved Sindhu around the court with her deft placement and exceptional retrieval skills before earning seven match points. A converted on her second opportunity when Sindhu’s return sailed long, sealing her place in the semifinals after a 48-minute contest.