India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu bowed out of the Thailand Open on May 15 following a hard-fought quarterfinal battle against top-seeded Akane Yamaguchi. Despite a strong start where she secured the opening game, the world number 12 ultimately succumbed to the Japanese world number three with a scoreline of 21-19, 18-21, 15-21. The intense match lasted just over an hour, and while Sindhu fell short this time, she still maintains a narrow 15-13 lead in her career head-to-head record against Yamaguchi.
PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen out of Thailand Open
The singles category saw further disappointment for the Indian contingent as Lakshya Sen also exited the tournament in the quarterfinal stage. Facing second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Sen put up a spirited fight but was defeated in straight games, 19-21, 16-21, in a match that lasted 53 minutes. The local favorite, Vitidsarn, managed to hold his nerve at the crucial moments to deny Sen a spot in the final four.
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However, the day ended on a triumphant note for India in the doubles circuit. Top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty delivered a masterclass, dismantling the sixth-seeded Japanese duo of Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami with a dominant 21-12, 21-13 victory. With this commanding performance, the pair has advanced to the semifinals, where they are set to face the third-seeded Malaysian team of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in a high-stakes encounter.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty continue to roll
The opening game of the quarterfinal was a tense, back-and-forth encounter. Both athletes remained neck-and-neck, reaching a deadlock at 11-11 before Akane Yamaguchi managed a slight two-point edge. However, PV Sindhu displayed her trademark resilience, fighting back to level the score once more. After the two players were tied at 19-19 in the closing moments, Sindhu maintained her composure to secure two consecutive points, successfully clinching the first game.
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In the final game, Sindhu struggled to find her rhythm and spent the entire set chasing her opponent. After falling behind 0-5 early on, the Indian ace showed a spark of a comeback by narrowing the deficit to a single point at 11-12. However, Yamaguchi effectively switched gears at the critical moment, pulling away once more to take the deciding game 21-15 and secure her place in the semifinals.