Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu’s hopes of winning a sixth World Championships medal were dashed on Friday when she lost to Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani in a fierce three-game quarterfinal match.
The five-time medallist and 2019 global champion Sindhu was aiming for a record sixth podium finish but lost to ninth seed Wardani 14-21, 21-13, and 16-21 in a thrilling 64-minute match.
India’s dreams of winning a mixed doubles medal at the showpiece were dashed earlier in the day as World No. 4 Malaysians Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei defeated Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto in a 15-21, 13-21 loss.
The 30-year-old Hyderabadi Sindhu took home her first medal in Guangzhou in 2013. She finished second in Glasgow (2017) and Nanjing (2018), added another bronze in Copenhagen the following year, and then made history in 2019 by winning gold in Basel.
Since winning the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sindhu, the only Indian to win Olympic medals in back-to-back Games (silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020), has had a challenging run. Her final noteworthy victory that year came at the Singapore Open.
Her hopes of winning a third Olympic medal were dashed in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics due to injuries, a decline in her rankings, and repeated coaching changes.
She has been working out under Indonesian coach Muhammad Irwansyah, but she hasn’t been able to find consistency on the tour.
Sindhu found it difficult to seal the victory over Wardani, with whom she had a 2-2 lifetime record prior to the match. The 23-year-old Indonesian ensured her first Worlds medal by remaining composed under pressure.
In the first game, Wardani was the sharper player, applying pressure to Sindhu with smashes and angles. A series of mistakes by the Indian gave the Indonesian the opportunity to take control after the score was level at 3-3, and they went into the half 11-7.
Sindhu kept going long and wide, but Wardani maintained her lead to 18-9 before pocketing the first one 21-14 after the Indian pushed one out with a broken string.
In the second game, Sindhu came roaring back, finding her range on the smashes and tightening her net play. As Wardani’s game deteriorated, she swept to a 16-6 advantage after leading 4-2. With a thunderous cross-court winner, Sindhu ended the game 21–13 and drew level.
After falling behind 0–3 in the final, Sindhu launched a barrage of aggressive returns that ultimately broke Wardani’s defense. It was 3-3 when the Indonesian went long.
Despite Wardani’s tenacious defense, she gave in to Sindhu’s pressure at 5–4. After that, there was an intense 59-shot rally in which Wardani blunted every shot that was delivered at her until she eventually scored to give Sindhu the point.
After that, Sindhu gave Wardani a false push above her head, but the 23-year-old responded with a smash to tie the score at 7-7.
Momentum fluctuated as Sindhu made a mistake during a close net exchange. She then rallied at 8-8 with a resolute defensive effort and completed the rally with an incredible cross-court smash.
At 9-9, Wardani skillfully lobbed to even the score before seizing the initiative. During a tussle, Sindhu’s racquet crossed the net, earning her a foul call. Wardani then won with a crisp front-court stroke to lead two points going into the half.
Sindhu started with a spinning net shot from the same end as she had won the second game. However, Wardani’s response was spot on, as the Indonesian increased her advantage to 15-11 when Sindhu put one in the net.
Sindhu persisted, cutting the lead to 15–16 with another excellent net shot and a wide smash from Wardani. Wardani, however, struck a body smash as she was closing in, but she quickly countered it with a net error – 17-16.
After that, the Indonesian hit a hard smash deep to Sindhu’s forehand, and the Indian made a costly mistake at the backline, giving Wardani a three-point lead.
Wardani earned four match points after Sindhu found the net, and the Indian’s wide shot soon sealed the contest.
Meanwhile, Kapila and Crasto fell 15-21, 13-21 in 37 minutes while attempting to win India’s first-ever mixed doubles title at the showcase. They would have received at least a bronze if they had won.
The world No. 17 Indian pair defeated the world No. 5 pair from Hong Kong, Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, on Thursday, pulling off a huge upset. However, they were unable to maintain that momentum into the match in the round of eight.
