PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty crash out of China Open 2026; India's campaign ends
Changzhou, July 23
PV Sindhu's campaign at the China Open 2026 ended on Thursday after she lost 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 to home favourite Chen Yufei in the women's singles round of 16 in Changzhou, China. India's campaign at the BWF Super 1000 tournament also concluded later in the day, with Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty exiting in the second round of the men's singles competition, according to Olympics.com.
Ranked world No. 12, Sindhu went down 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 to world No. 4 Chen Yufei, who recovered from a game down to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Chen made a strong start to the contest, opening up a 12-6 lead in the first game. Sindhu responded brilliantly, drawing level at 16-16 before winning five of the next six points to take the opener.
The Indian continued her impressive form in the second game and looked set for victory after earning four match points at 20-16. However, Chen mounted a remarkable comeback, saving all four match points by claiming six straight points to force a deciding game. Sindhu held the advantage during the early stages of the decider, but Chen took control in the closing exchanges to seal victory after an intense one-hour-and-29-minute battle.
The defeat marked Sindhu's ninth loss in 16 career meetings against Chen Yufei.
In the men's singles, world No. 23 Ayush Shetty also suffered a narrow defeat, losing 21-15, 13-21, 20-22 to Ireland's world No. 24 Nhat Nguyen. Shetty appeared on course for victory after leading 19-15 in the deciding game but was unable to convert his advantage.
Lakshya Sen, ranked world No. 14, was beaten in straight games by Canada's world No. 8 Victor Lai, 21-19, 21-11. Despite holding a 15-9 lead in the opening game, Lakshya could not maintain the momentum as Lai fought back to take control of the match.
The Indian shuttlers will next compete at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open, which begins on July 28.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Really disappointing for Lakshya Sen - he was leading 15-9 in first game and then just collapsed. Need to work on closing out matches under pressure. Ayush Shetty also showed promise but couldn't finish. Our badminton depth is improving but we need to convert these close losses into wins.
Sindhu still a legend but she's not getting younger. At 31, these marathon matches against top Chinese players are getting harder. Time for our younger players like Ayush Shetty to step up. Good fight though - proud of our shuttlers! 💪
The men's singles results are worrying. Lakshya Sen has been inconsistent lately - one day he beats world No.1, next day loses to lower ranked players. And Ayush Shetty needs to learn how to close out matches when leading 19-15. These are basic match management skills. Hope our coaches work on this.
To be fair, Chen Yufei is world No.4 and Victor Lai is world No.8 - these are tough draws. Also Nhat Nguyen is no pushover. Our players are giving top players a run for their money which shows progress. Just need that extra 5% to cross the line. Taipei Open next, let's support them! 🏸
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