PV Sindhu Loses To A Chinese For the First Time At World Championships; India's Singles Challenge Ends

Indian singles challenge at the BWF World Championships ended after PV Sindhu lost her game against Wang Zhiyi from China. Earlier, Ayush Shetty had lost against 11th-seeded Alwi Farhan in straight games.

Coming to the game, Wang got the better of her Indian counterpart in the first game. The Chinese shuttler neutralised Sindhu's smashes by pushing her in the baseline. This forced Sindhu to do a course correction and generate power from far back, which in turn limited her variations.

In the second game, Sindhu looked much more comfortable when the court changed for the Indian shuttler. The Olympian changed her tactics to make the rallies flat and targeted the body line of her Chinese opponent. She switched from continuous attacking from overhead power to build pressure using half-smashes.

'Injury Timing' Derails Sindhu In Third Game

The third game is where a lot was happening on the court. Sindhu was leading at 13-10. Subsequently, Wang made a comeback and took 5 consecutive points to take the score to 15-13. But the 5-time World Championships medalist managed to tie the score at 15-15.

However, Wang was injured on court, and some medical attention was given to the Chinese shuttler when the score was tied at 16-16. This was perhaps the defining moment of the game and there was a break in the momentum for her.

In the post-match media interaction, Sindhu acknowledged that it did distract her for some time, which cost her the final three points in the third game.

"I don't know if she's injured or not; maybe that is her strategy or her way of doing it. You never know. Maybe that's her gameplay. But I had to be very focused and very patient and, you know, focus on every point. So yeah, I think the last three points just changed the game; that's what I felt. I should have been a little more patient," Sindhu said.

BWF World Championships 2026: Alwi Gets Better Of Shetty

The two have shared a new chapter in badminton rivalry stretching way back from the junior level, with the technically solid Farhan coming out on top today. The 21-year-old, expected to take over the mantle from Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting, put on a seamless display of technical badminton, as Ayush seemed restricted in his smashes and unable to hassle his opponent with just net prods on his World Championships debut.

"I think he was playing really sharp today. I had my chances in the first game, couldn't convert them. And I think in the second game he was playing with more confidence, and he was putting a lot of pressure from the net. I think that made the difference," Ayush remarked in the post-match media interaction. The second game tilted in favour of Alwi even more easily. The Indonesian used the quicker end of the court to his advantage and dictated rallies with ease. He rarely had to resort to elaborate changes in pace or placement, instead neutralising the forecourt threat and maintaining relentless pressure from deep.

Ayush struggled badly with his defensive lifts, lacking both conviction and accuracy, while his opponent continued to find the lines with authority. In the end, Farhan managed to seal the deal for 21-11.