India's PV Sindhu suffered a heartbreaking defeat against China's Wang Zhi Yi in the women's singles pre-quarterfinals of the 2026 BWF World Championships, ending her hopes of winning a historic sixth World Championships medal.
Sindhu lost the closely fought 88-minute contest 11-21, 21-15, 17-21. After taking the opening game, the Indian shuttler saw Wang fight back strongly before eventually sealing the deciding game.
During the final stages of the match, Wang appeared to struggle with cramps and took extended breaks. Sindhu later admitted she was unsure whether her opponent was genuinely injured or whether the breaks were part of a tactical approach.
However, Sindhu also accepted that she needed to remain patient and concentrate on winning each individual point rather than being distracted by the situation.
Wang maintained that she was genuinely dealing with an injury. Despite the controversy surrounding the breaks, she managed to hold her nerve in the deciding game and eliminate the Indian star from the tournament.
The defeat ended Sindhu's campaign on home soil and brought her pursuit of a sixth World Championships medal to an end. The match nevertheless highlighted her competitiveness against one of the world's leading players.
