PV Sindhu’s long-standing struggles with closing out tight matches resurfaced at the China Open Super 1000 as she squandered four match points before going down 21-16, 20-22, 18-21 to China’s Chen Yufei on Thursday.
The defeat was a painful one for the Indian, who looked set for a statement win after taking the opening game and building a healthy advantage in the second. However, missed opportunities, questionable line judgments and visible fatigue combined to turn the contest in Yufei’s favour.
Fresh from her title-winning campaign at the Japan Open last week, Sindhu was playing her seventh match in 10 days. Despite the demanding schedule, she produced an inspired performance to push the Olympic champion to the brink, even leading 15-13 in the deciding game. But Yufei, buoyed by her dramatic escape in the second game and backed by the home crowd, seized the momentum and completed the comeback.
Sindhu remained the more aggressive player for much of the contest, but as the match wore on, the power behind her trademark smashes began to fade. Yufei capitalised by forcing the Indian deeper into the court, inviting attacking shots that increasingly lacked penetration and often found the net.
The match also underlined an area Sindhu and coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama will look to address. While the attacking intent and movement were encouraging, composure in the closing stages once again proved elusive, allowing a winning position to slip away.
The opening game had begun in difficult fashion for Sindhu, who trailed 6-12 at the mid-game interval. A timely intervention from Irwansyah sparked a remarkable turnaround as she abandoned all-out attack and instead relied on sharp cross-court exchanges that repeatedly forced Yufei to change direction.
The tactical adjustment gradually paid dividends. Unable to dictate rallies comfortably, Yufei began committing errors from both flanks while Sindhu patiently built pressure. The Chinese star briefly responded with a powerful winner to move 15-13 ahead, but a gruelling 44-shot rally shifted the momentum completely. Sindhu eventually won the exchange with a body smash before levelling at 16-all and taking control.
Winning 15 of the final 19 points in the opener, Sindhu closed the game with a powerful smash followed by a delicate drop shot to complete an impressive comeback.
She carried that momentum into the second game, dominating from the outset with a relentless attacking display. Body smashes, steep winners and sharp net play helped her establish control, and she looked firmly on course for victory after opening a 20-16 lead.
From there, however, the match took a dramatic turn. Yufei survived a marathon 37-shot rally to save the first match point before reeling off six consecutive points. Sindhu’s decision to leave a shuttle that landed inside the back line reflected the physical and mental fatigue creeping into her game, while Yufei’s refusal to concede any rally kept the pressure firmly on the Indian.
The missed opportunities proved decisive as the Olympic champion forced a decider before completing the comeback to book her place in the next round.
