Sindhu’s bid for record sixth World Championship medal ends in defeat

Paris: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu’s pursuit of a sixth World Championships medal came to a painful end on Friday, as she lost a thrilling three-game quarterfinal battle to Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani.

The 2019 world champion and five-time medalist at the event was aiming for a record sixth podium finish but fell short, going down 14-21, 21-13, 16-21 to the ninth seed in a gripping 64-minute encounter.

Earlier in the day, India’s mixed doubles duo Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also exited the competition, beaten 15-21, 13-21 by Malaysia’s world No. 4 pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, ending India’s hopes of securing a maiden mixed doubles medal at the tournament.

Sindhu, 30, had first climbed the World Championship podium in 2013 at Guangzhou, and added another bronze the following year in Copenhagen. She went on to claim silver in Glasgow (2017) and Nanjing (2018), before creating history with her gold medal triumph in Basel (2019).

The Hyderabad shuttler, India’s only athlete to win medals at two consecutive Olympics — silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 — has struggled to maintain form since winning the 2022 Commonwealth Games title. The Singapore Open that year remains her last notable success.

A string of injuries, fluctuating rankings, and frequent coaching changes have hampered her preparation for the Paris Olympics, where her hopes of a third Olympic medal were cut short. Now under Indonesian coach Muhammad Irwansyah, Sindhu has been searching for stability on tour, but consistent results have remained elusive.

Facing Wardani, with whom she had shared a 2-2 head-to-head record before the match, Sindhu once again faltered in clutch moments. The 23-year-old Indonesian kept her composure under pressure to secure her first World Championship medal.

Wardani dictated the opening game with sharp angles and powerful smashes, while Sindhu committed several unforced errors. The Indonesian led 11-7 at the interval and extended her advantage to take the game 21-14.

Sindhu hit back strongly in the second game, dominating rallies with sharp net play and aggressive smashes. Racing to a 16-6 lead, she levelled the contest by clinching the game 21-13.

The decider turned into a see-saw battle. Sindhu fought hard, even winning a 59-shot rally to go ahead briefly, but Wardani countered with her defensive resilience and tactical placement. A few costly errors, including a net foul and a misjudgement at the baseline, tilted the momentum in the Indonesian’s favour.

Wardani surged to 20-16 and sealed the match on her second match point, leaving Sindhu’s dream of a sixth World medal unfulfilled.