Sindhu’s World Championship Dream Shattered by Wang Zhiyi

New Delhi – The women's singles draw of the Badminton World Championships was thrown into disarray on Thursday when P.V. Sindhu was defeated by Wang Zhiyi of China with a scoreline of 21‑11, 15‑21, 21‑17. The loss not only ended Sindhu’s campaign but also denied her the opportunity to become the first Indian player to win a sixth World Championship medal.

During the opening game, Wang’s relentless attacking strokes forced Sindhu into the front court, where a series of uncharacteristic errors allowed the Chinese player to pull ahead to 11‑8 at the break and later seal the set 21‑11. Sindhu altered her strategy in the second game, playing with greater composure and quickly establishing a four‑point advantage. Despite Wang’s attempts to drag the rally length, Sindhu’s precise drop shots kept the pressure on, eventually equalising at 15‑15 and then taking six points in a row to force a decider.

The third game saw Sindhu take an early 3‑0 lead and extend it to 8‑4, but Wang’s determination and a medical timeout at 16‑16 disrupted the Indian star’s rhythm. A sequence of four consecutive mistakes from Sindhu handed Wang the match point, and a clean drop shot concluded the encounter, propelling the world No.3 into the quarter‑finals.