Malaysia Open: The two-time Olympic champion P V Sindhu's remarkable campaign was halted in the women's singles semifinals, as China's Wang Zhiyi defeated the Indian shuttler in a straight-game loss at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 on Saturday.
The two-time Olympic medallist struggled to contain her unforced errors, suffering a 21-16, 21-15 defeat. Returning to competition for the first time since October, Sindhu's comeback was marked by flashes of brilliance, but her dominance fell short as she squandered an 11-6 lead in the second game.
The Indian shuttler's campaign ended with a loss, bringing down the curtains on India's tournament run.
Sindhu dictated the pace, leveraging her reach and power to trouble Wang, racing to a 5-2 lead before Wang's subtle touch helped her draw level with a run of points.
Wang's wayward shots permitted Sindhu to surge to 9-7, but the Chinese star regained tempo, manipulating Sindhu's net errors to retake a narrow lead at the interval.
Both players laboured for length after the restart, with the scores closed at 13-13 and several points wasted at the backline. Wang ramped up the pressure from 15-14, releasing a barrage of attacking shots that left Sindhu scrambling.
She rushed to 18-14, dropped a point in a rousing rally, and then locked the game with four points in a row.
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Sindhu trailed 1-3 in the second, but rebounded to lead 6-3 with clever play. Wang fought back, but Sindhu's accurate net shots kept her ahead at 13-9.
Wang levelled at 13-13 as Sindhu's errors ascended, then took control with a clever net winner, padding her lead to 16-13. Sindhu's errors piled up, giving Wang five match points. A wide shot eventually locked the Indian's fate, booking Wang's final spot.