Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu faced yet another defeat at the hands of world number four An Seyoung as the Indian women's badminton team suffered a debilitating 5-0 defeat against Korea in their final group D match of the Uber Cup in Bangkok on Wednesday, May 11.
The side has already qualified for the quarterfinals after successive wins over Canada and USA, but it was a reality check for the young Indian team as they could not win a single game against the Koreans in their five-match tie.
For Sindhu, it was a disappointing outing as she was condemned to her straight fifth loss to An Seyoung, losing 15-21, 14-21 this time around in a lopsided affair as India conceded an early 0-1 lead.
The combo of Shruti Mishra and Simran Singhi were no match for the pairing of world number two Lee Sohee and Shin Seung-chan, going down 13-21, 12-21 in 39 minutes. Aakarshi Kashyap then was sent packing 10-21, 10-21 by world number 19 Kim Ga Eun as India surrendered the tie 0-3.
In the next two matches, Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Heeyong beat Tanisha Crasto and Treesa Jolly 21-14 21-11, while Ashmita Chaliha lost 18-21 17-21 to Sim Yujin as Korea completed the 5-0 drubbing of India.
Earlier in the tournament, the women shuttlers were at their possible best, beating Canada 5-0 in an easy victory, and then securing a place in the knockout stages with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over the USA in their Group D fixtures. Their match against Korea was to decide who would finish in the top of their group, with Korea taking the eventual honours.
