India faced another setback in badminton as ace shuttler PV Sindhu’s quest for her third Olympic medal ended in the women’s singles Round of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
Sindhu was defeated by the sixth-seeded Chinese player He Bing Jiao in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14, marking her first Olympics without a medal. Previously, she won silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo 2020.
Sindhu started the first set strong, taking the initial point, but Jiao quickly gained a significant lead. Sindhu managed to level the score at 12-12 and again at 19-19, but Jiao kept her composure to take the first set 21-19. In the second set, Sindhu’s efforts to make a comeback were thwarted by Jiao’s relentless play, resulting in a 21-14 win for the Chinese shuttler.
This defeat adds to India’s badminton woes at the Paris Olympics. The world number three pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also exited the tournament in the quarter-finals after a hard-fought match. Despite a strong start, they lost to their opponents with scores of 21-13, 14-21, 16-21.
In the men’s singles event, Lakshya Sen kept India’s medal hopes alive by defeating compatriot HS Prannoy in the Round of 16, securing his place in the final eight. Sen is set to face the 12th-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-final on Friday.
