PV Sindhu suffered a second successive loss to world No. 1 An Se Young in as many weeks to exit the Indonesia Open in Jakarta on Thursday. The two-time Olympic medallist had lost to the South Korean shuttler in the quarterfinals of last week’s Singapore Open.
Sindhu did give a fight before going down 17-21, 14-21 in the round of 16 clash. The defeat extended Sindhu’s losing streak against the reigning Olympic champion to 10 matches. The Indian is yet to register a win over An.
The match started on an even note, with both players level at 10-10 midway through the opening game. Sindhu showed flashes of her best form and managed to trouble the Korean with some aggressive play.
She took a narrow 15-14 lead at one stage, but An soon turned the game around, winning a string of points to move ahead 19-16.
The Korean then claimed the next two points, including a demanding 41-shot rally, to take the first game.
An carried that momentum into the second game and quickly opened up a 13-6 lead. Sindhu kept battling and tried to close the gap, refusing to give up despite trailing for most of the game.
However, An remained in control, using her excellent court coverage to finish the match and book her place in the quarterfinals.
