NEW DELHI: Up till the beginning of 2024, PV Sindhu had by no means misplaced to a Chinese language shuttler on the Olympics and the BWF World Championships. An unblemished 9-0 document. Then she bumped into He Bingjiao and that streak got here to an finish on the Paris Olympics. One remained.On the BWF World Championships, she had gone previous Wang Yihan (2013), Wang Shixian (2013), Wang Shixian (2014), Li Xuerui (2015), Solar Yu (2017), Chen Yufei (2017, 2019) and Wang Zhi Yi (2025) over time. On Thursday, she bumped into Zhi Yi for the ninth time and that streak on the Worlds additionally got here to an finish.The newest defeat — 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 in 68 minutes — additionally prolonged her shedding document to 3-6 towards the 26-year-old, with Sindhu now shedding 4 in a row.In a pulsating contest that had all of the thrills and edge-of-the-seat motion you count on from high-intensity sport, Zhi Yi withstood not simply the problem of the five-time Worlds medallist, however the crowd as effectively.
I do not know if she was injured or not. That was perhaps her technique of doing it. You by no means know. Perhaps that is her gameplay.
PV Sindhu
If that wasn’t sufficient to get the group buzzing, the Chinese language shuttler twice went all the way down to the ground, clutching her left leg with cramps. Twice, she known as for the physician to return to her support whereas crawling to the aspect. And twice she returned to the courtroom to delay the competition, which had been plagued by prolonged rallies, together with within the closing phases.
New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): China’s Wang Zhi Yi falls on the courtroom in the course of the ladies’s singles Spherical of 16 match towards India’s PV Sindhu on the BWF World Championship 2026 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Picture/Rahul Singh)
The 2 medical breaks proved to be a degree of competition later.“I do not know if she was injured or not. That was perhaps her technique of doing it. You by no means know. Perhaps that is her gameplay,” claimed PV Sindhu.World No. 3 Zhi Yi rubbished these claims.
I am conscious that gamers interact in such techniques, however I used to be actually injured
Wang Zhi Yi
“I can perceive that in that second it regarded like she had such a thought however I used to be actually injured. Throughout the cramp, I solely considered the way to get the most effective from my efficiency. I am conscious that gamers interact in such techniques, however I used to be actually injured,” claimed the three-time World Junior Championships medallist.The following factors, from 16-15 within the third sport, Sindhu believes, turned the match. Whereas the 31-year-old Indian began to get impatient, by her personal admission, the Chinese language shuttler fought on.As Zhi Yi returned to the courtroom, the rallies began to get longer and the decibel degree went up in unison. After an intense 54-shot rally that went in Zhi Yi’s favour, the Chinese language collapsed as soon as once more close to the road.
India’s PV Sindhu in motion in the course of the ladies’s singles Spherical of 16 match towards China’s Wang Zhi Yi on the BWF World Championship 2026 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Picture/Rahul Singh)
On the very first match level alternative, Zhi Yi performed an inch-perfect shot to finish Sindhu’s marketing campaign and break Indian hearts.PV Sindhu, who will now shift her focus to the Asian Video games, took a philosophical strategy to her exit.“Disenchanted in fact. That is how sport is. You be taught, you lose lots, you win lots. While you lose you have to cope with it and bounce again stronger out of your errors. That is how will probably be and must be. You may’t win on a regular basis and on the similar time you must be capable to take it as effectively,” she stated.
Ayush Shetty bows out; Jolly-Gopichand finish 11-year wait
Earlier than Sindhu took courtroom, the Indian crowd had been shut down by Alwi Farhan of Indonesia, who gave nothing away and swept Ayush Shetty apart. The Indian had had a marketing campaign to recollect, the place he beat World No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi within the opening spherical.
India’s Ayush Shetty competes towards Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, unseen, within the males’s singles badminton match in the course of the BWF World Championships, at IGI Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI Picture)
“I feel I had my probability within the first sport. I got here again effectively. However yeah, once more, I could not convert it,” Shetty stated after being blitzed 19-21, 11-21.The day from an Indian perspective was salvaged by the Indian doubles groups of Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Pullela Gopichand and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.As Jolly and Gopichand went previous seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-12 in simply 44 minutes, they turned the primary Indian ladies’s doubles pair in 11 years to succeed in the World Championships quarter-finals.
India’s Treesa Jolly (proper), and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela rejoice after profitable towards Japan’s Rin Iwanaga, unseen, and Kie Nakanishi, unseen, within the ladies’s doubles badminton match in the course of the BWF World Championships, at IGI Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI Picture)
The victory made them the primary Indian ladies’s doubles mixture to succeed in the final eight of the World Championships since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2015.“I feel getting on courtroom, undoubtedly there’s a bit stress, however it’s the sort of stress you get pleasure from since you’re enjoying in Delhi. So yeah, even within the first set we have been down 13-16, however then we received some ideas from our coaches and I feel yeah after that we have applied it fairly effectively. So yeah, I feel I am tremendous comfortable. Even within the second sport there have been a couple of… it was fairly difficult, neck-to-neck, however then yeah, I am glad we might keep calm and pull the sport off,” Gopichand stated.
Satwik-Chirag battle previous Malaysia’s Arif-Yap to succeed in BWF World Championships quarterfinals
The day was rounded off loudly and convincingly by Satwik and Chirag, who noticed off a first-game blip of their first match of the week. The Indians hadn’t taken to the courtroom to this point after getting a first-round bye after which a walkover of their Spherical of 16.The Indians saved two sport factors within the opening sport towards Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King however nonetheless fell behind earlier than producing a spirited comeback. Trailing 16-18 within the second, they gained 5 of the ultimate six factors to pressure a decider.The third sport adopted an identical script, with Satwik and Chirag recovering from 12-15 down. They levelled at 17-17 earlier than reeling off 4 consecutive factors to seal their place within the quarter-finals.
