PV Sindhu’s World Championships Campaign Ends After Marathon Loss to Wang Zhiyi

PV Sindhu’s campaign at the BWF World Championships 2026 came to a heartbreaking end in New Delhi on Thursday as the Indian badminton star lost a gripping women’s singles Round of 16 contest to World No. 3 Wang Zhiyi of China.

Sindhu went down 11-21, 21-15, 17-21 in a marathon battle that lasted one hour and 27 minutes, bringing an end to India’s singles challenge at the home World Championships. The defeat also meant that no Indian men’s or women’s singles player progressed to the quarterfinals.

But the scoreline tells only part of the story.

Sindhu had opportunities to take control of the contest and was within touching distance of victory late in the deciding game. Wang, however, produced a remarkable recovery despite appearing to struggle physically and collapsing to the court during the final stages of the match. The Chinese third seed eventually found enough energy and composure to win the final five of six points and book her place in the quarterfinals.

The match began badly for Sindhu.

Wang immediately established control in the opening game, forcing the Indian into difficult positions and capitalising on errors. Sindhu attempted to play with aggressive margins, looking for sharp angles and attacking opportunities, but too many of those shots missed their targets.

Wang was able to dictate the pace and take the opening game 21-11. The second game, however, saw a significant shift.

Sindhu began using the net far more effectively, drawing Wang forward and forcing her opponent into uncomfortable lifts. The Indian's drops created attacking opportunities, allowing her to control rallies rather than chase them. It was the kind of tactical adjustment Sindhu needed.

Instead of constantly searching for outright winners from difficult positions, she built points with patience and created openings through placement. Wang was forced to defend deeper, while Sindhu's attacking game became increasingly effective.

The ninth seed took the second game 21-15 and pushed the contest into a deciding game. At that point, the momentum appeared to be with the home favourite.

The deciding game became a physical and mental battle, with neither player willing to give away easy points. Sindhu continued to fight, while Wang began showing signs of physical discomfort.

Then came one of the most dramatic moments of the match. With Sindhu leading 16-15, the Indian played a shot that narrowly missed the sideline. Wang stretched desperately to reach it and ended up on the floor as the score moved to 16-16.

The atmosphere inside the arena changed instantly.

For a moment, it appeared as though Wang might not be able to continue at full intensity. She had already been involved in a demanding match, and the physical toll was visible.

Yet the Chinese star refused to surrender. From 16-16, Wang produced an extraordinary late surge. She won five of the final six points, rediscovering her attacking sharpness and putting Sindhu under sustained pressure when the match was at its most critical stage.

Wang closed out the contest 21-17. For Sindhu, it was a particularly painful defeat because of how close she had come.

The Indian had fought back strongly after a difficult opening game and had put herself in a winning position during the decider. But a few errors at crucial moments proved costly against a player of Wang's quality.

Sindhu's willingness to attempt difficult shots was both a strength and a weakness during the match. Her attacking intent helped her turn the second game around, but in the first and third games, several attempts at narrow margins resulted in unforced errors.

Against the World No. 3, those margins were always going to matter.

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Wang, despite her physical struggles, showed why she remains one of the leading players in women's badminton. Her ability to regroup after appearing to be in serious discomfort and then produce her best badminton in the final moments was decisive.

The defeat also marked a significant statistical moment in Sindhu’s World Championships career. This was her first-ever loss to a Chinese player at the BWF World Championships, ending a remarkable record that had been built across multiple editions of the tournament.

Sindhu remains one of India's greatest performers at the World Championships, having won medals at the event in the past, including her historic gold in 2019. However, her wait for another World Championships medal will now extend into a seventh year.

The loss also completed a disappointing campaign for India’s singles players.

Lakshya Sen had earlier suffered a shock second-round defeat to American teenager Garret Tan, while Ayush Shetty's impressive run ended in the pre-quarterfinals against Indonesia's Alwi Farhan. Unnati Hooda also came agonisingly close to progressing after failing to convert two match points against Canada's Michelle Li.

Sindhu's defeat ensured that India's singles representation was over before the quarterfinal stage. Yet, despite the disappointment, the performance against Wang offered encouragement. Sindhu matched one of the world's best players for long stretches, recovered strongly from a poor first game and pushed the World No. 3 into an 87-minute physical battle.

In the end, Wang Zhiyi found the final burst when it mattered most.

For Sindhu, there was heartbreak in New Delhi. But as she has demonstrated throughout her career, the fight was never in question.