Nothing is going right for PV Sindhu.
Having suffered seven first round exits this year, Sindhu arrived at the $420,000 Super 500 Australian Open in Sydney to try and go deep and rediscover her confidence.
No such luck.
The quarterfinals was all she could manage. On Friday, the two-time Olympic medallist, ranked no. 17 in the world, lost 12-21, 17-21 against world number 12 Beiwen Zhang of the US.
Sindhu, whose troubles started with a left ankle stress fracture last year, entered the match having beaten fellow Indians Ashmita Chaliha and Aakarshi Kashyap. Zhang, 33, was someone she had beaten six times in ten encounters. But on Friday, there was barely any competition between the two as Zhang won in fairly routine fashion.
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This is not the ideal preparation for Sindhu as she heads into the World Championships in Copenhagen from August 21 to 27.
Sindhu, winner of a silver and a bronze in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, respectively, and also the 2019 World Championship, had recently started working with her new coach, 2003 All England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.
Prior to that she ended her coaching arrangement with Park Tae-Sang of Korea and then briefly teamed up with SAI coach Vidhi Chaudhary.
One of Sindhu’s tougher losses this year was at the US Open against Gao Fang Jie in the quarterfinals. She admitted as much on Twitter.
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"This loss has left a significant emotional impact on me, especially considering the challenging and demanding year I've had. It's disheartening to experience a disappointing defeat after each successful tournament. However, I am determined to channel my emotions into redoubling my efforts and making the remainder of the year truly remarkable,” she posted.
Further on, Sindhu wrote, “I will continue to push forward, driven by the unwavering support and encouragement of Indian fans everywhere I go. Your support means the world to me, and I am deeply grateful for it.”
For now, she continues to look for the breakthrough.
