India’s badminton star PV Sindhu crashed out of the Indonesia Open after suffering a straight-games defeat to world No. 1 An Se Young in the women’s singles round of 16 in Jakarta on Thursday.
The two-time Olympic medallist went down 17-21, 14-21 to the South Korean, marking her second consecutive loss to An in as many weeks. Sindhu had also been beaten by the reigning Olympic champion in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open last week.
The result further underlined An’s dominance in the rivalry, extending Sindhu’s losing streak against the South Korean to 10 matches. The Indian shuttler is still searching for her first victory over the world No. 1.
Despite the defeat, Sindhu showed flashes of her attacking best during parts of the contest. The opening game was closely fought, with both players locked at 10-10 midway through. Sindhu matched An stroke for stroke and briefly gained the upper hand, moving ahead 15-14 with a series of aggressive winners.
However, An once again demonstrated why she is the top-ranked player in the world. The South Korean responded with a decisive surge, stringing together crucial points to establish a 19-16 advantage. She then closed out the game with two successive points, including a gruelling 41-shot rally that highlighted her exceptional fitness and court coverage.
The momentum remained firmly with An at the start of the second game. She moved confidently around the court and quickly built a commanding 13-6 lead, forcing Sindhu onto the defensive.
To her credit, the Indian continued to battle and produced several strong rallies in an attempt to reduce the deficit. But An’s consistency, defensive resilience and ability to control long exchanges left little room for a comeback. The Korean maintained her advantage and comfortably wrapped up the match to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Earlier in the day, India also suffered disappointment in men’s singles as rising star Ayush Shetty exited the tournament. Shetty started strongly against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, winning the opening game 21-16, but was unable to maintain the momentum. Lee fought back to claim the next two games 21-13 and 21-14, ending the Indian’s campaign in the round of 16.
There was, however, some positive news for India in the men’s doubles competition. The pair of M. R. Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan kept the country’s hopes alive by producing a spirited comeback victory over Malaysia’s Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Xing. After dropping the opening game, the Indian duo rallied to win 16-21, 21-15, 21-19 and advance to the quarterfinals.
With Sindhu and Shetty eliminated, Arjun and Hariharan now carry India’s challenge forward at the prestigious Super 1000 tournament in Jakarta.
