Sindhu bows out early from China Open

Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu let slip an early advantage to bow out of the China Open with a gruelling three-game loss to local favourite and world number four Chen Yufei in the second round on Thursday.

Sindhu lost 21-16, 20-22, 18-21 in the energy-sapping match that lasted close to one and a half hours. The 30-year-old Hyderabadi had entered the tournament on a high after winning the Japan Open last week, ending a lengthy title drought. That the match was going to be a closely fought affair was evident in the opening game itself, in which Sindhu rallied from 7-13 to be 16-16. The Indian then reeled off five consecutive points to grab the early advantage.

However, it was Chen’s turn to pull off a comeback in the second game as Sindhu frittered away four game points. Chen, who is a gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, took the game 22-20, clawing back from a 16-20 position.

The deciding third game also went neck-and-neck for most part before Chen broke away at 17-17 to clinch the victory.