PV Sindhu’s pursuit of a historic sixth BWF World Championship medal came to a heartbreaking end following a three-game marathon in the second round. The two-time Olympic medallist fought valiantly but ultimately succumbed to China's world No. 3 Wang Zhi Yi, dropping a grueling 21-11, 15-21, 21-17 contest.
PV Sindhu knocked out of BWF World Championships
After a sluggish opening set where Wang dictated the tempo, Sindhu mounted a spirited fightback in the second game, using her range and aggressive play to force a decider. However, the decider turned into a war of attrition, with the third-ranked Chinese shuttler holding her nerve in the closing stages to outlast the Indian star and deny her a record-breaking return to the podium.
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Wang Zhi Yi outclasses PV Sindhu
Across an intense 88-minute battle, Wang seized early momentum, breaking open an initial stalemate by storming through 10 of the final 12 points post-interval to take the opening set 21-11. Refusing to yield, Sindhu rallied brilliantly in the second set; locked at 15-15, the Indian shuttler unleashed a decisive six-point surge to snatch the set 21-15 and push the quarterfinal into a distance-decider.
The final game evolved into a high-stakes tug-of-war. Sindhu initially held the upper hand, carrying an 11-9 cushion into the mid-game break and stretching her lead to 13-10, before Wang answered with a gritty four-point run to reclaim a 15-13 advantage in a constantly shifting contest.