Shenzen, Sept 19 (UNI) India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu’s search for a breakthrough win over Olympic champion An Se-Young continued as she bowed out of the China Masters 2025 women’s singles quarter-finals in Shenzhen on Friday.
Sindhu, a Rio 2016 silver and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist, went down 14-21, 13-21 in 38 minutes to the world No.1 and Paris 2024 gold medallist from the Republic of Korea at the BWF Super 750 tournament. The defeat stretched her losing streak against An Se-young to eight matches.
The Indian, currently ranked 14th, made a slow start, trailing 1-6 in the opening game. Young controlled the rallies with sharp smashes and held an 11-5 lead at the interval before wrapping up the game.
Sindhu showed early intent in the second game, edging ahead 3-2, but the Korean’s deft deception and consistency gave her an 11-7 cushion, and she sealed the contest with a cross-court smash.
Speaking after the match, Sindhu admitted that unforced errors hurt her chances. “There were some good rallies, but I made mistakes and gave her the lead from the beginning,” she said. “Even when I came closer, she pulled away again.”
The 29-year-old preferred to take positives from the outing. “It was a good experience after a long time playing her. I need to see where I can improve and come back stronger,” she added.
Earlier, Sindhu had beaten Thailand’s world No.6 Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-15, 21-15 to enter the quarterfinals. Despite notable wins this season, including over China’s world No.2 Wang Zhi Yi at the World Championships, Sindhu has struggled for consistency with six first-round exits.
Meanwhile, India’s top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the semifinals with a commanding 21-14, 21-14 win over China’s Ren Xiangyu and Hao Nan Xie in just 38 minutes. It marked their seventh semifinal of the year as they continue to chase their first title of 2025 after finishing runners-up at last week’s Hong Kong Open and clinching a World Championships bronze in Paris.
