Changzhou, 23 July (H.S.): India’s star badminton player PV Sindhu’s campaign at the China Open 2026 came to an end in the Round of 16 after she suffered a hard-fought defeat against fourth-seeded Chinese shuttler Chen Yufei on Thursday. Chen made a strong comeback to beat Sindhu 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 and secured her place in the quarter-finals.

Sindhu made a strong start to the match and won the opening game. However, in the second game, she failed to capitalise on four match-point opportunities. Chen staged a remarkable comeback by winning five consecutive points to force the match into the deciding game.

In the opening game, Chen took an early 12-6 lead, but Sindhu displayed excellent resilience to level the score at 16-16. She then maintained her momentum by winning consecutive points and claimed the game 21-16.

The second game saw Sindhu in complete control as she built a 20-17 lead and had four match points. However, Chen produced a stunning turnaround at the crucial stage, winning five straight points to take the game 22-20 and push the contest into the decider.

In the deciding game, Sindhu again gained an early advantage, but Chen Yufei raised her level in the closing stages, collecting crucial points to win the game 21-18 and seal the match.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 gold medallist Chen Yufei will face the winner of the quarter-final clash between Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh.

With this defeat, India’s experienced shuttler PV Sindhu’s journey at the China Open 2026 has come to an end.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar