Heartbreak for PV Sindhu as she loses China Open pre-quarters marathon to Chen Yufei
PV Sindhu's unbeaten run has come to an end after she was beaten by World No.4 Chen Yufei in a titanic battle at the China Open on Thursday, July 23.
PV Sindhu walked off the court with little to regret but plenty to rue after a gripping one-hour and 29-minute marathon against Chen Yufei at the China Open on Thursday. In a contest where both players repeatedly pushed the boundaries of their endurance, Sindhu came within a point of victory four times before World No. 4 and home favourite Chen staged a remarkable comeback to win 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 in the second round in Changzhou. It was a cruel end to what had seemed destined to become one of Sindhu's finest wins in recent years, denying her back-to-back victories over top-five opponents for the first time since 2019.
The match on Thursday was a rematch of their semifinal clash just less than week at the Japan Open, The contest came to a premature end at the Japan Open as Yufei picked up an injury, forcing her to retire. It seemed like the World No.4 learnt from her mistakes last time around and had Sindhu struggling at the start. But the Indian ace bounced back with an incredible run to secure game one and was close to moving into the quarters. But a slight niggle seemed to derail all the momentum for Sindhu as the crowd started to rally behind Yufei.
The World No.4 pushed the match into the decider, where another to-and-fro battle ensued with both women showing their class. In the end, Yufei got her revenge for the Japan Open loss. Even though, if it sounds a bit cliche, it can be said that badminton proved to be the winner with this match.
As the great Indian coach Vimal Kumar said, it was a reminder of the quality we can see with the traditional 21-point system in place.
"This was a masterclass in attacking and defensive badminton, with exceptional rallies, tactical brilliance and fighting spirit from both players."
"Matches of this quality are a reminder of why the traditional 21-point scoring system has produced some of the greatest contests in our sport. We are unlikely to witness many encounters like this once the new scoring system comes into effect next year," said Kumar to India Today.
HOW THE MATCH UNFOLDED
If the recent performances are anything to go by, we have seen a new side to Sindhu. She appears to have channelled her fiery side a little bit, been more vocal on social media and has been using pure grit as her calling card.
During the start of the match, it was Yufei who raced into a 5-2 lead. While the Indian ace came back to level things up, her Chinese counterpart appeared to be a step ahead. During their contest in Tokyo, Sindhu's crossdrop shots were causing an issue for Yufei.
But this time around, the Chinese ace came prepared.
She took the lead and went into the break with an 11-6 advantage. Right after the restart, both women exchanged points but the deficit remained and it seemed like Sindhu needed a miracle to comeback.
And she found that extra bit of luck and grit to cut the deficit down to two points. From there she seemed unstoppable and steamrolled past Yufei, winning seven straight points and taking home the first game.
The second one started with Sindhu pressing on the momentum and making it 7-3. A mini comeback followed from Yufei but Sindhu took the lead into the break.
After the restart, Yufei kept depending on the energy from the crowd to get back into the contest, but it seemed like Sindhu was just way ahead of her opponent once again.
However, the World No. 4 wasn't ready to go down without a fight, and it was evident in a sensational rally when Sindhu was leading 20-16. It was at this point that Sindhu seemed to be struggling a bit physically, with her spending more time on the ground after missing a drop shot.
Errors creeped into her game as she went in with a little too much power on a return to get Yufei closer. Miscalculating a drop shot gave Yufei all the momentum and she pushed the match into a decider, as the rampant crowd erupted.
The third game was more even in almost everything. Attack, defence and pure grit.
But Sindhu did get the momentum when it was needed the most and went into the break with an 11-8 lead. The restart yielded more of the same and it was Yufei battling back this time to bring everyone on to the edge of their seats.
No one was able to get a decent run stitched up with Yufei's highest being three and Sindhu's two.
The contest quickly started to slip away from Sindhu as Yufei started to assert her dominance and got a run going that proved to be the final nail in the coffin. She was able to round it off and got the win to progress to the quarters.
In the end, a bit of luck was missing for Sindhu as Vimal Kumar pointed out.
"After the heartbreaking second game, Sindhu showed tremendous character and composure to fight back in the decider. Playing the closing stages from the tougher end only made the challenge greater, yet she never stopped believing. A little more luck in the second game and the result could easily have been different."
Full credit to Chen Yufei as well. Her consistency, resilience and quality under pressure were outstanding, making this a contest of the highest standard," said Sindhu.
PV Sindhu walked off the court with little to regret but plenty to rue after a gripping one-hour and 29-minute marathon against Chen Yufei at the China Open on Thursday. In a contest where both players repeatedly pushed the boundaries of their endurance, Sindhu came within a point of victory four times before World No. 4 and home favourite Chen staged a remarkable comeback to win 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 in the second round in Changzhou. It was a cruel end to what had seemed destined to become one of Sindhu's finest wins in recent years, denying her back-to-back victories over top-five opponents for the first time since 2019.
The match on Thursday was a rematch of their semifinal clash just less than week at the Japan Open, The contest came to a premature end at the Japan Open as Yufei picked up an injury, forcing her to retire. It seemed like the World No.4 learnt from her mistakes last time around and had Sindhu struggling at the start. But the Indian ace bounced back with an incredible run to secure game one and was close to moving into the quarters. But a slight niggle seemed to derail all the momentum for Sindhu as the crowd started to rally behind Yufei.
The World No.4 pushed the match into the decider, where another to-and-fro battle ensued with both women showing their class. In the end, Yufei got her revenge for the Japan Open loss. Even though, if it sounds a bit cliche, it can be said that badminton proved to be the winner with this match.
As the great Indian coach Vimal Kumar said, it was a reminder of the quality we can see with the traditional 21-point system in place.
"This was a masterclass in attacking and defensive badminton, with exceptional rallies, tactical brilliance and fighting spirit from both players."
"Matches of this quality are a reminder of why the traditional 21-point scoring system has produced some of the greatest contests in our sport. We are unlikely to witness many encounters like this once the new scoring system comes into effect next year," said Kumar to India Today.
HOW THE MATCH UNFOLDED
If the recent performances are anything to go by, we have seen a new side to Sindhu. She appears to have channelled her fiery side a little bit, been more vocal on social media and has been using pure grit as her calling card.
During the start of the match, it was Yufei who raced into a 5-2 lead. While the Indian ace came back to level things up, her Chinese counterpart appeared to be a step ahead. During their contest in Tokyo, Sindhu's crossdrop shots were causing an issue for Yufei.
But this time around, the Chinese ace came prepared.
She took the lead and went into the break with an 11-6 advantage. Right after the restart, both women exchanged points but the deficit remained and it seemed like Sindhu needed a miracle to comeback.
And she found that extra bit of luck and grit to cut the deficit down to two points. From there she seemed unstoppable and steamrolled past Yufei, winning seven straight points and taking home the first game.
The second one started with Sindhu pressing on the momentum and making it 7-3. A mini comeback followed from Yufei but Sindhu took the lead into the break.
After the restart, Yufei kept depending on the energy from the crowd to get back into the contest, but it seemed like Sindhu was just way ahead of her opponent once again.
However, the World No. 4 wasn't ready to go down without a fight, and it was evident in a sensational rally when Sindhu was leading 20-16. It was at this point that Sindhu seemed to be struggling a bit physically, with her spending more time on the ground after missing a drop shot.
Errors creeped into her game as she went in with a little too much power on a return to get Yufei closer. Miscalculating a drop shot gave Yufei all the momentum and she pushed the match into a decider, as the rampant crowd erupted.
The third game was more even in almost everything. Attack, defence and pure grit.
But Sindhu did get the momentum when it was needed the most and went into the break with an 11-8 lead. The restart yielded more of the same and it was Yufei battling back this time to bring everyone on to the edge of their seats.
No one was able to get a decent run stitched up with Yufei's highest being three and Sindhu's two.
The contest quickly started to slip away from Sindhu as Yufei started to assert her dominance and got a run going that proved to be the final nail in the coffin. She was able to round it off and got the win to progress to the quarters.
In the end, a bit of luck was missing for Sindhu as Vimal Kumar pointed out.
"After the heartbreaking second game, Sindhu showed tremendous character and composure to fight back in the decider. Playing the closing stages from the tougher end only made the challenge greater, yet she never stopped believing. A little more luck in the second game and the result could easily have been different."
Full credit to Chen Yufei as well. Her consistency, resilience and quality under pressure were outstanding, making this a contest of the highest standard," said Sindhu.
PV Sindhu walked off the court with little to regret but plenty to rue after a gripping one-hour and 29-minute marathon against Chen Yufei at the China Open on Thursday. In a contest where both players repeatedly pushed the boundaries of their endurance, Sindhu came within a point of victory four times before World No. 4 and home favourite Chen staged a remarkable comeback to win 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 in the second round in Changzhou. It was a cruel end to what had seemed destined to become one of Sindhu's finest wins in recent years, denying her back-to-back victories over top-five opponents for the first time since 2019.
The match on Thursday was a rematch of their semifinal clash just less than week at the Japan Open, The contest came to a premature end at the Japan Open as Yufei picked up an injury, forcing her to retire. It seemed like the World No.4 learnt from her mistakes last time around and had Sindhu struggling at the start. But the Indian ace bounced back with an incredible run to secure game one and was close to moving into the quarters. But a slight niggle seemed to derail all the momentum for Sindhu as the crowd started to rally behind Yufei.
The World No.4 pushed the match into the decider, where another to-and-fro battle ensued with both women showing their class. In the end, Yufei got her revenge for the Japan Open loss. Even though, if it sounds a bit cliche, it can be said that badminton proved to be the winner with this match.
As the great Indian coach Vimal Kumar said, it was a reminder of the quality we can see with the traditional 21-point system in place.
"This was a masterclass in attacking and defensive badminton, with exceptional rallies, tactical brilliance and fighting spirit from both players."
"Matches of this quality are a reminder of why the traditional 21-point scoring system has produced some of the greatest contests in our sport. We are unlikely to witness many encounters like this once the new scoring system comes into effect next year," said Kumar to India Today.
HOW THE MATCH UNFOLDED
If the recent performances are anything to go by, we have seen a new side to Sindhu. She appears to have channelled her fiery side a little bit, been more vocal on social media and has been using pure grit as her calling card.
During the start of the match, it was Yufei who raced into a 5-2 lead. While the Indian ace came back to level things up, her Chinese counterpart appeared to be a step ahead. During their contest in Tokyo, Sindhu's crossdrop shots were causing an issue for Yufei.
But this time around, the Chinese ace came prepared.
She took the lead and went into the break with an 11-6 advantage. Right after the restart, both women exchanged points but the deficit remained and it seemed like Sindhu needed a miracle to comeback.
And she found that extra bit of luck and grit to cut the deficit down to two points. From there she seemed unstoppable and steamrolled past Yufei, winning seven straight points and taking home the first game.
The second one started with Sindhu pressing on the momentum and making it 7-3. A mini comeback followed from Yufei but Sindhu took the lead into the break.
After the restart, Yufei kept depending on the energy from the crowd to get back into the contest, but it seemed like Sindhu was just way ahead of her opponent once again.
However, the World No. 4 wasn't ready to go down without a fight, and it was evident in a sensational rally when Sindhu was leading 20-16. It was at this point that Sindhu seemed to be struggling a bit physically, with her spending more time on the ground after missing a drop shot.
Errors creeped into her game as she went in with a little too much power on a return to get Yufei closer. Miscalculating a drop shot gave Yufei all the momentum and she pushed the match into a decider, as the rampant crowd erupted.
The third game was more even in almost everything. Attack, defence and pure grit.
But Sindhu did get the momentum when it was needed the most and went into the break with an 11-8 lead. The restart yielded more of the same and it was Yufei battling back this time to bring everyone on to the edge of their seats.
No one was able to get a decent run stitched up with Yufei's highest being three and Sindhu's two.
The contest quickly started to slip away from Sindhu as Yufei started to assert her dominance and got a run going that proved to be the final nail in the coffin. She was able to round it off and got the win to progress to the quarters.
In the end, a bit of luck was missing for Sindhu as Vimal Kumar pointed out.
"After the heartbreaking second game, Sindhu showed tremendous character and composure to fight back in the decider. Playing the closing stages from the tougher end only made the challenge greater, yet she never stopped believing. A little more luck in the second game and the result could easily have been different."
Full credit to Chen Yufei as well. Her consistency, resilience and quality under pressure were outstanding, making this a contest of the highest standard," said Sindhu.
