Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu suffered an inexplicable meltdown, bowing out of the All England Championships with a three-game loss to Korea’s Kim Ga Eun in the women’s singles opening round on Wednesday. The two-time Olympic medallist, returning after recovering from a hamstring injury, squandered an opening-game advantage to lose 21-19, 13-21, 13-21 to world number 21 Kim in a match that lasted just over an hour at Arena Birmingham. Sindhu, 29, was cruising at 20-12 in the opening game but almost threw it away, allowing Kim to recover to 19-20 before eventually winning the game. However, Sindhu’s form dipped thereafter, while Kim grew in confidence, which was reflected in her improved movement and shot selection.
It was yet another disappointing result for world number 16 Sindhu, who had exited in the opening round of the Indonesia Masters in January, following a quarterfinal finish at the India Open Super 750 to start the year.
India’s Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, however, progressed to the second round of mixed doubles competition, prevailing 21-10 17-21 24-22 over Chinese Taipei’s Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan, ranked 41st.
The duo will face fifth seeds Yan Zhe Feng and Ya Xin Wei of China next.
Sindhu vs Kim ========= Sindhu had defeated Kim in their only meeting in 2019 Hong Kong Open but was coming into the event after withdrawing from the Asia Mixed team championships due to a hamstring injury.
Playing with a blue tape on her right leg, Sindhu had a strong 3-0 start, which included her trademark forehand cross.
However, Kim surpassed her at 5-4 after the Indian made a few judgement errors and miscued a shot.
Sindhu’s ability to put the shuttle in awkward positions and close out rallies with whipping, precise smashes helped her take a handy four-point lead at the break.
With Sindhu in full flow, the score soon reached 15-9 in the Indian’s favour.
Kim tried to make a contest of it but couldn’t pierce Sindhu’s defence and also succumbed to unforced errors in desperation.
During one rally, Kim, sprawled on the floor, managed to send the shuttle beyond Sindhu’s reach to delay the inevitable.
But Sindhu soon unleashed another powerful smash to earn eight game points.
The Indian, however, suffered an inexplicable meltdown, squandering seven of them before finally sealing the game when Kim went wide.
Kim carried her momentum into the second game, racing to a 4-1 lead.
The Korean looked in complete control, using a sharp cross-court smash to stretch her advantage to 7-2.
However, a series of errors pegged Kim back.
The short rallies started to go Sindhu’s way as Kim’s shots drifted wide or long, allowing Sindhu to close the gap to 6-9.
Despite the pressure, Kim managed to take a crucial 42-shot rally, heading into the interval with a two-point lead.
After the break, Kim maintained her intensity, keeping Sindhu on the back foot and extending her lead to 17-12 with another powerful cross-court smash.
A costly service error from Sindhu handed Kim seven game points.
Sindhu then found the net, allowing the Korean to level the contest and bounce back into the match.
Kim looked like a different player in the decider, moving well and hitting her shots with greater precision, making life difficult for Sindhu as she jumped to a 7-2 lead.
Sindhu kept fighting, narrowing the deficit to 7-9.
However, Kim continued to challenge her with precise angled returns on both flanks, holding an 11-7 lead at the final mid-game break.
While Sindhu executed her cross smashes with precision, Kim limited her opportunities.
The Indian also made too many errors, including hitting the net and sending the shuttle long or wide, as Kim extended her lead to 17-11.
A deceptive drop shot and a forehand cross handed Kim eight match points.
Sindhu saved one before faltering again at the net.
