PV Sindhu’s impressive run came to an end at the China Open after the Indian badminton star suffered a hard-fought second-round defeat to home favourite and world No. 4 Chen Yufei on Thursday.Sindhu lost 21-16, 20-22, 18-21 in a gripping contest that lasted nearly 90 minutes. The defeat came just days after she ended a long title drought by winning the Japan Open, arriving in China with renewed confidence.The opening game was closely contested, with Sindhu fighting back from 7-13 to level the score at 16-16 before winning five straight points to take the game 21-16.Chen responded in dramatic fashion in the second game. Sindhu looked set to wrap up the match after reaching 20-16, but the Tokyo Olympic champion saved four game points and claimed the game 22-20, forcing a decider.The deciding game remained evenly balanced for much of the contest, with both players matching each other point for point. At 17-17, however, Chen raised her level and won the crucial points to seal the match 21-18 and book her place in the quarterfinals.Despite the defeat, Sindhu showed encouraging form following her Japan Open triumph, but was unable to overcome the former Olympic champion in one of the standout matches of the tournament.
