NEW DELHI: Up until the start of 2024, PV Sindhu had never lost to a Chinese shuttler at the Olympics and the BWF World Championships. An unblemished 9-0 record. Then she ran into He Bingjiao and that streak came to an end at the Paris Olympics. One remained.At the BWF World Championships, she had gone past Wang Yihan (2013), Wang Shixian (2013), Wang Shixian (2014), Li Xuerui (2015), Sun Yu (2017), Chen Yufei (2017, 2019) and Wang Zhi Yi (2025) over the years. On Thursday, she ran into Zhi Yi for the ninth time and that streak at the Worlds also came to an end.The latest defeat — 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 in 68 minutes — also extended her losing record to 3-6 against the 26-year-old, with Sindhu now losing four in a row.In a pulsating contest that had all the thrills and edge-of-the-seat action you expect from high-intensity sport, Zhi Yi withstood not just the challenge of the five-time Worlds medallist, but the crowd as well.
I don’t know if she was injured or not. That was maybe her strategy of doing it. You never know. Maybe that’s her gameplay.
PV Sindhu
If that wasn’t enough to get the crowd buzzing, the Chinese shuttler twice went down to the floor, clutching her left leg with cramps. Twice, she called for the doctor to come to her aid while crawling to the side. And twice she returned to the court to prolong the contest, which had been littered with lengthy rallies, including in the closing stages.
New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): China’s Wang Zhi Yi falls on the court during the women’s singles Round of 16 match against India’s PV Sindhu at the BWF World Championship 2026 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
The two medical breaks proved to be a point of contention later.“I don’t know if she was injured or not. That was maybe her strategy of doing it. You never know. Maybe that’s her gameplay,” claimed PV Sindhu.World No. 3 Zhi Yi rubbished those claims.
I’m aware that players engage in such tactics, but I was really injured
Wang Zhi Yi
“I can understand that in that moment it looked like she had such a thought but I was really injured. During the cramp, I only thought about how to get the best from my performance. I’m aware that players engage in such tactics, but I was really injured,” claimed the three-time World Junior Championships medallist.The ensuing points, from 16-15 in the third game, Sindhu believes, turned the match. While the 31-year-old Indian started to get impatient, by her own admission, the Chinese shuttler fought on.As Zhi Yi returned to the court, the rallies started to get longer and the decibel level went up in unison. After an intense 54-shot rally that went in Zhi Yi’s favour, the Chinese collapsed once again near the line.
India’s PV Sindhu in action during the women’s singles Round of 16 match against China’s Wang Zhi Yi at the BWF World Championship 2026 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
On the very first match point opportunity, Zhi Yi played an inch-perfect shot to end Sindhu’s campaign and break Indian hearts.PV Sindhu, who will now shift her focus to the Asian Games, took a philosophical approach to her exit.“Disappointed of course. That’s how sport is. You learn, you lose a lot, you win a lot. When you lose you need to deal with it and bounce back stronger from your mistakes. That’s how it will be and should be. You can’t win all the time and at the same time you should be able to take it as well,” she said.
Ayush Shetty bows out; Jolly-Gopichand end 11-year wait
Before Sindhu took court, the Indian crowd had been shut down by Alwi Farhan of Indonesia, who gave nothing away and swept Ayush Shetty aside. The Indian had had a campaign to remember, where he beat World No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi in the opening round.
India’s Ayush Shetty competes against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, unseen, in the men’s singles badminton match during the BWF World Championships, at IGI Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)
“I think I had my chance in the first game. I came back well. But yeah, again, I couldn’t convert it,” Shetty said after being blitzed 19-21, 11-21.The day from an Indian perspective was salvaged by the Indian doubles teams of Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Pullela Gopichand and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty.As Jolly and Gopichand went past seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-12 in just 44 minutes, they became the first Indian women’s doubles pair in 11 years to reach the World Championships quarter-finals.
India’s Treesa Jolly (right), and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela celebrate after winning against Japan’s Rin Iwanaga, unseen, and Kie Nakanishi, unseen, in the women’s doubles badminton match during the BWF World Championships, at IGI Stadium in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)
The victory made them the first Indian women’s doubles combination to reach the last eight of the World Championships since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in 2015.“I think getting on court, definitely there’s a little pressure, but it’s the kind of pressure you enjoy because you’re playing in Delhi. So yeah, even in the first set we were down 13-16, but then we got some tips from our coaches and I think yeah after that we’ve implemented it pretty well. So yeah, I think I’m super happy. Even in the second game there were a few… it was pretty tricky, neck-to-neck, but then yeah, I’m glad we could stay calm and pull the game off,” Gopichand said.
Satwik-Chirag battle past Malaysia’s Arif-Yap to reach BWF World Championships quarterfinals
The day was rounded off loudly and convincingly by Satwik and Chirag, who saw off a first-game blip in their first match of the week. The Indians hadn’t taken to the court so far after getting a first-round bye and then a walkover in their Round of 16.The Indians saved two game points in the opening game against Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King but still fell behind before producing a spirited comeback. Trailing 16-18 in the second, they won five of the final six points to force a decider.The third game followed a similar script, with Satwik and Chirag recovering from 12-15 down. They levelled at 17-17 before reeling off four consecutive points to seal their place in the quarter-finals.
