PV Sindhu loses to World No 1 in Singapore Open quarterfinal

India’s PV Sindhu lacked the consistency required to challenge world No 1 An Se Young for sustained periods, going down in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open on Friday. However, India’s ace men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought win.

The two-time Olympic medallist showed flashes of her attacking brilliance and managed to put the Korean under pressure in phases, but An’s superior control, court coverage and ability to win crucial points ensured another comfortable 21-17, 21-14 victory in their one-sided rivalry.

The defeat extended Sindhu’s winless streak against the reigning Olympic champion to nine matches. Across those meetings, the Indian has managed to take a game off An only once — at the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships.

Meanwhile, Satwik and Chirag, the Asian Games champions and fourth seeds, fought back from a game down to defeat Malaysia’s Khai Xing Kang and Aaron Tai 19-21, 21-17, 21-13 in a gruelling contest lasting one hour and five minutes.

The Indian duo will next face top-seeded Korean pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, who defeated Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-19, 21-18 in the quarterfinals.

(With PTI inputs)