Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu lost to Canada’s Michelle Li in the second round of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament on Thursday.
World number 20 Sindhu was defeated by her Canadian opponent 21-17, 16-21, 17-21 in a match that lasted one hour and 15 minutes.
Li, ranked 23rd in the world, had previously defeated Sindhu only twice, while the Indian shuttler had won 10 of their prior encounters.
The first game was a closely contested battle, with both shuttlers neck and neck early on. However, Sindhu managed to edge ahead with a narrow 11-8 lead, maintaining a slight advantage for the rest of the game to take an early lead in the match.
READ | PV Sindhu determined to prove critics wrong as she gears up for 2025 World Championships
In the second game, Li came out aggressive, quickly built an 8-3 lead. Sindhu, however, fought back, and the score was tied at 16-16 at one point. But Li raised her game, winning five consecutive points to level the match.
The deciding game saw a fierce exchange between the two players, with the score remaining tight until 17-all. At that point, Li scored four straight points to close out the match.
Li will play Siouth Korea’s Yu Jin Sim in the quarterfinals.
With Sindhu’s defeat, India’s campaign in the tournament has come to an end.
Earlier, Lakshya Sen lost after squandering a one-game lead, falling 22-20, 17-21, 16-21 to Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao in their men’s singles round of 32 match. Meanwhile, the women’s doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also suffered a first-round exit.
(With inputs from PTI)
