P V Sindhu loses to Chen Yufei in China Open second round
Quick Look
- Indian shuttler P V Sindhu exited the China Open after a tough three-game loss to local favorite Chen Yufei in the second round.
- Sindhu, who recently won the Japan Open, couldn't hold an early lead in the nearly 90-minute match.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Indian shuttler P V Sindhu, fresh off a Japan Open title win, faced Chen Yufei in the China Open second round.
Indian badminton ace P V Sindhu let slip early advantage to bow out of China Open with a gruelling three-game loss to local favourite and world number four Chen Yufei in the second round here on Thursday.
Sindhu lost 21-16 20-22 18-21 in the energy-sapping match lasted close to one and a half hour. The 30-year-old Hyderabadi had entered the tournament on a high after winning the Japan Open last week, ending a lengthy title drought.
That the match was going to be a closely fought affair was evident in the opening game itself in which Sindhu rallied from 7-13 to be 16-16.
The Indian then reeled off five consecutive points to grab the early advantage.
However, it was Chen's turn to pull off a comeback in the second game as Sindhu frittered away four game points.
Chen, who is a gold-medallist from Tokyo Olympics in 2021, took the game 22-20, clawing back from a 16-20 position.
The deciding third game also went neck-and-neck for most part before Chen broke away at 17-17 to clinch the victory.