Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu’s hopes for a third Olympic medal were dashed on Thursday as she bowed out in the Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
Competing at La Chapelle Arena’s Court 3, Sindhu was defeated by China’s 6th seed He Bing Jiao in straight games, marking the first time in her career she did not secure a medal at the Summer Games.
Earlier in the day, the same court witnessed the exits of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and HS Prannoy, adding to the dismal day for Indian badminton. The ominous streak continued for Sindhu, who lost 19-21, 14-21 in a 56-minute contest against her formidable Chinese opponent.
The match began with a tightly contested opening game. Sindhu leveraged her reach to apply pressure on Jiao, who countered with deceptive shots and powerful smashes.
Despite trailing initially, Sindhu fought back, forcing Jiao into errors. The first game was a neck-and-neck battle, with Sindhu clawing her way back to level the scores.
However, Jiao’s strategic body smashes and sudden drop shots ultimately gave her the edge, clinching the game 21-19.
The second game saw Sindhu struggle to find her rhythm. Falling behind 2-8 early on, her defensive lapses were evident as Jiao managed to lift all her smashes with ease.
Sindhu’s misjudgments on the pace of the court resulted in several shots going long, widening the gap further. Jiao, maintaining her momentum, dominated the game and secured her victory in straight games, sealing Sindhu’s fate in the tournament.
Sindhu’s exit capped a challenging day for Indian badminton and the Indian contingent overall. Alongside her defeat, India faced setbacks in other sports as well.
Swapni Kusale’s bronze medal in shooting was a lone highlight on a day that saw losses in hockey and the elimination of medal hopefuls, including Sift Kaur Samra in the 50m rifle 3 P event.
With Sindhu out, India’s hopes in badminton now rest on Lakshya Sen, the world No. 18. Sen will face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the quarter-finals today, August 2.
His performance will be crucial as India looks to add to its medal tally in the Paris Olympics.
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