Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu failed to capitalize on a strong position, while other players also faltered at crucial moments, resulting in India suffering a 0-5 defeat against China in the Uber Cup and bowing out of the badminton tournament.
The Indian women’s team had begun their campaign with a 2-3 loss to hosts Denmark, but subsequently kept their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive with a 4-1 victory over Ukraine.
In the Uber Cup, India has now suffered defeat in all three of its previous encounters against 16-time champions China. Sindhu led the charge for India, while Isharani Baruah and Devika Sihag were drafted into the lineup for the remaining two singles matches, replacing Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma.
Sindhu held a commanding 18-12 lead in the deciding set, but ultimately succumbed to World No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, losing 16-21, 21-19, 19-21. This gave China a 1-0 lead in this crucial Group A fixture on Monday.
Sindhu later remarked, “It was a good match. It would have been even better had I managed to secure the win. I had my chances, but it wasn’t as if any points came easily. Every single point was fiercely contested. We were truly battling hard for every point.”
In the first doubles match, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra proved no match for the World No. 1 pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, suffering a 11-21, 8-21 defeat.
Isharani Baruah posed a stiff challenge to Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei; however, the World No. 38 Indian player squandered an easy opportunity while leading 20-19 in the first game. World No. 4 player Yufei won the match in 44 minutes with a score of 22-20, 21-13, giving China an unassailable 3-0 lead.
In the second doubles match, the pair of Treesa Jolly and Kavipriya Selvam suffered a 10-21, 21-12, 19-21 defeat against Luo Xu Min and Zhang Shu Xian in a contest that lasted 59 minutes.
World No. 43 player Devika Sihag also got off to a good start but failed to maintain her momentum, ultimately losing the third singles match to World No. 97 player Xu Wen Jing with a score of 21-19, 17-21, 10-21.
