Asian Games 2026: PV Sindhu crashes out in quarter-finals after loss to Chen Yufei
PV Sindhu lost to Chen Yufei in three sets.
PV Sindhu’s individual campaign at the Asian Games 2026 ended on Sunday. The two-time Olympic medallist lost to China’s Chen Yufei in the women’s singles quarter-final, going down 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 in Aichi-Nagoya.
Sindhu got off to a brilliant start, winning the opening game 21-11 without much resistance from her Chinese opponent and looking sharp from the first point.
The contest appeared to be heading towards a straight-games victory. However, Yufei responded strongly in the second game, gradually closing the gap and eventually levelling the match at 1-1 with a 21-18 win, her first real foothold in the contest.
The deciding game proved to be the turning point. A marathon 122-second rally unfolded early in the third game, one of the longest exchanges, and Chen appeared to seize control of momentum from that point on. She never let it go, pulling away steadily to close out the match 21-10 and complete the comeback.
RELATED: Asian Games 2026 – Reasons behind India women’s badminton team’s quarter-final exit
The defeat ends Sindhu’s singles campaign at the Games, with her dominant start ultimately proving insufficient to secure a place in the last four. It marks a below-par finish for one of India’s most successful shuttlers.
Team quarterfinal exit preceded the singles loss
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
Just a few days before Sindhu’s exit from the singles event, the Indian women’s team suffered a 1-3 defeat against Japan in the team event quarter-finals.
Sindhu opened that tie against World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, winning the first game 23-21 before Yamaguchi fought back to win the next two games 21-18, 21-6.
Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma and the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand contested the remaining rubbers. Only Treesa and Gayatri secured a victory, as Japan sealed the tie 3-1.
RELATED: Asian Games 2026: India’s medal tally after Day 7, 26th September
With both the team and individual quarter-final losses now behind her, Sindhu’s Asian Games 2026 campaign has ended without a medal.
How did PV Sindhu lose her singles quarterfinal?
She won the first game 21-11, but Chen Yufei fought back, winning 18-21, 10-21 to take the match.
How did the Indian women’s badminton team fare against Japan?
India lost 1-3. Sindhu and Unnati Hooda lost their singles, Treesa-Gayatri won in doubles, and Tanvi Sharma lost the decider.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram