PV Sindhu faces another early exit, this time at the Thailand Open 2026. The ace Indian shuttler lost to top seed Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals after giving up an early lead in the first game. The match, which lasted just over an hour in Bangkok, featured momentum shifts, a remarkable comeback, and a disappointing finish for Sindhu and India.
PV Sindhu exits the Thailand Open at the quarterfinal stage, losing 21-19, 18-21, 15-21 to top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in a three-game contest in Pattaya.
The first game set the stage for the drama to come. Both players fought hard, trading points in a tense battle that reached 11-11. Yamaguchi pulled ahead at 13-11, but Sindhu, known for her resilience, fought back to even the score. At 19-19, it was Sindhu who found her nerve and won the next two points, taking the first game and quieting her critics.
However, Sindhu could not maintain that momentum in the second game. She jumped to a 5-1 lead, and a win seemed likely, but Yamaguchi responded with seven consecutive points, taking the score from 7-11 to 14-11. This shift marked a key turning point in the match. Yamaguchi, known for her defense and consistent play, finished the second game 21-18, leveling the match at one game each.
The deciding game was different. Sindhu, who had looked sharp and competitive earlier, struggled to find her rhythm. She fell behind 0-5 from the start, and although she closed the gap to 11-12, Yamaguchi stepped up and finished strong, winning 21-15. The final score—19-21, 21-18, 15-21—reflected a match that Sindhu had within reach but could not finish.
After the match, Sindhu acknowledged the factors that led to her loss. She noted that unforced errors appeared at critical moments and that losing the 5-1 lead in the second game was a turning point she could not overcome. Still, there is a silver lining—ranked 12th in the world, she holds a 15-13 advantage over Yamaguchi in their head-to-head matchups, making their rivalry one of the most intriguing in women’s badminton.
“I felt I made simple errors, because I was leading in the second game. It was not like we were doing the rally, it was not like easy points, but maybe I should have converted it into a win,” she said after the match. “In the third game, she was maintaining the lead, but I think in the beginning I gave her four or five points in a row. I recovered but still two-three points really matter a lot at that point,” said the two-time Olympic medallist.
