World Champion PV Sindhu exited the ongoing All England Open Badminton Championships on Friday after losing her quarterfinals match against Nozomi Okuhara. With her exit, India’s challenge at the Super 1000 tournament has come to an end.
Sindhu lost in three games 21-12, 15-21, 13-21 in 68 minutes to bow out of the championships in Birmingham.
Sindhu though began the contest in dominating fashion opening up a five-point lead at 7-2. She then zoomed to a massive 20-11 lead before pocketing the game against Okhuara whose weak returns were crashing onto the net.
The second game turned out to be an even affair with Okuhara finding her bearings to open up a massive eight-point lead at 18-10. The sixth-ranked Indian fought hard but the Japanese held on to draw it level at one-all.
It all boiled down to the decider where Sindhu seemed lost. Okuhara bossed over her opponent, completing as stunning turnaround to sail to a 21-13 win and seal the tie in her favour. The fourth-ranked Okuhara dictated the pace of the rallies and didn’t allow Sindhu to attack, reducing the Indian to play the retrieving game.
The 24-year-old Sindhu came into the the match with a 9-7 head-to-head record against Okuhara, having demolished the Japanese in the finals of the 2019 World Championships to win her maiden title.
Sindhu had beaten Sung Ji Hyun 21-19, 21-15 to enter the quarter-finals, keeping the Indian flag flying.
With PTI Inputs
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