6 min readUpdated: Jul 23, 2026 08:38 PM IST
It was a terrible day to be tall and talented in Indian badminton. While PV Sindhu frittered away four match points, Ayush Shetty wasted three to suffer painful losses at the Super 1000 China Open.
Ayush, playing Irishman Nhat Nguyen, was on course to enter his first China Open quarters but made inexplicable errors and poor shot selections as his wily opponent sensed a kill and went all the way to win 15-21, 21-13, 22-20. The 6-ft-4 Indian could take only two of the last nine points, as coach Irwansyah was left puzzled.
PV Sindhu too ran into familiar finishing blues playing World No.2 Chen Yufei, as she wasted four match points to eventually lose 21-16, 20-22, 18-21.
Ayush, playing Irishman Nhat Nguyen, was on course to enter his first China Open quarters but made inexplicable errors and poor shot selections. (BWF/Badminton Photo)
It was all of her nightmares coming together – a wasted lead from the brink of winning, two poor leaves on the lines that landed in, and exhaustion killing her power-switch from the backcourt to watch smashes land in the net.
Later, Lakshya Sen was wrapped up in two games by Viktor Lai. On a maddening drifty court, the Indian saw his 15-9 first game lead evaporate as he lost 21-19, 21-11. The Indian couldn’t capitalise on a 19-18 lead either.
Winner of the Japan Open last week, Sindhu was expected to be exhausted playing the top Chinese. But she defied fatigue to get to match point against the former Olympic champion, who was backed by the home crowd. She even led 15-13 in the decider. But the finishing got fluffed as Yufei, emboldened by her audacious second game heist, took hold of the decider and then ruled it.
Though Sindhu’s attack was good enough till the 15-point mark in the decider, the Chinese had too much momentum riding her way, and she knew the Sindhu smash was fading out in her seventh match in 10 days. The win came from Yufei pushing the Indian back, inviting a smash, which shorn off strength, went too flat, and into the meshing.
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It was a lesson for Irwansyah if he needs to take Sindhu to 2019 levels – she simply needs point-by-point instructions when closing out, even at 31. Impatience can resurface any time and undo all her hard work.
The first game fightback from Sindhu started at the interval with an Irwansyah pep talk. The Indian trailed 6-12, a formidable lead given Yufei’s ability to forge on. But it was this very assurance that was disrupted by Sindhu’s persistence that quietly tuned out the noisy Chinese home crowd.
It wasn’t a flurry of attacks. Instead, she played criss-crosses making Yufei twist and turn just as the coach had urged. The winners had been tough to plough down with Yufei’s stubborn defence and she being better at the flatter game. The Chinese World No.4 also has a heavy shoulder smash.
Comeback
The crisscross holding attack of Sindhu’s achieved the needful: it drew out errors in quick succession on the flanks, as the angles of returns triggered wide smashes, and Yufei’s efforts to get to the back of the court ended up long. With every error, one could see the clouding doubts engulf Yufei’s game as the pace slowed down, and Sindhu went for the kill.
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A zip-smash for 15-13 from Yufei was her last retort, but a 44-shot rally the next minute brought her undone. The retrieves were eye-popping from both women though the Chinese was guilty of chasing shuttles that were clearly going wide. It ended with a body smash to bring Sindhu to within 14-15 of her opponent.
The long rally had taken a toll. Yufei’s errors kept streaming as Sindhu levelled at 16-all. She nailed the next on the line, and the Chinese referral was unsuccessful. Sindhu though ended the game taking 15 of the last 19 points, painstakingly drawing out Chinese errors from wide smashes.
A big smash to the open back court gave Sindhu a 20-16 game point, and a delectable drop to the front court gave her the opener against all expectations.
It all unravelled in the second game, and Sindhu let go four match points, showing familiar finishing blues. The Indian World No.8 had the lead from Point 1 to 20, before crumbling from impatience.
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Sindhu had been imposing with a double body smash attack to take a 5-2 lead. The attacking hits increased in intensity, with a massive shoulder-smash to get to 10-7 lead and then a conventional hammering shot to take the 11-7 lead. She even had a surging forward cross net swoosh kill to keep the lead at 14-11, and despite Yufei threatening to overturn things at 16-18, Sindhu was up 20-16. Then panic struck.
A 37-shot rally where Yufei showed why she is an Olympic champion. Tenacious retrieves got one back with a desperate out- of-position reflex return. The Chinese would incredibly get six points in a row, as Sindhu let go a shuttle on the backline – the first signs of fatigue clouding judgment and the Indian just hoping to get points. The hope to get it done anyhow – despite knowing an opponent like Yufei doesn’t give up till the last point.
Yufei took her tenacity the whole distance.
“I had my chances in the second game,” Sindhu told BWF. “I should have finished it. Overall, there really wasn’t much in it and these things happen sometimes. It’s important to keep moving forward and show your skills in the right context.”
