At Asian Games 2026, Indian badminton star PV Sindhu’s long-form campaign ended in women’s singles quarter-finals when she lost to China’s World No. 4 Chen Yufei in a close match.
Sindhu had to pick up the pace but had to accept defeat and also expressed disappointment that a video review system was not put into place during her quarter-final match as she was not able to do it for the first time in the tournament for three years and the tournament was not broadcast in her time in the quarters.
Sindhu was beaten by Chen Yufei 21-11, 18-21, 10-21 at the start of the match. The Indian shuttler dominated the opening game and appeared to be in control but Chen fought back strongly in the second game. The Chinese player leveled the match after 18-18 and won three consecutive points before 21-18. Chen then kept her momentum in the final and won 21-10 to secure her place in the semi-finals.
Sindhu took to social media to admit her disappointment and to reflect on the bad feelings at the end of the match. She said it hurt so much because she had been just a few points away from closing out the second game and putting herself in a strong position to reach the semi-finals.
Sindhu also questioned the tournament's scheduling and the lack of recovery time between her matches. She played three matches in approximately 18 hours, she said, and her third-round match against Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki ended at about 1:30 am on Sunday. She had to return to competition at about 8:30 am for her quarter-final against Chen.
Sindhu had little time for physical recovery before she faced one of the strongest players in the tournament in this short turnaround. She said the grueling schedule had taken its toll but she was still determined to win a medal for India.
Sindhu also expressed concern at the lack of video review system on the court where her quarter-final was played. Her match took place on Court 4 while video review technology was only available on Courts 1 and 2. Sindhu felt that video review might have helped to clarify the disputed decisions and may have helped with the momentum of the match with close line calls on many occasions.
Her comments have added to the concerns about scheduling and match conditions in the badminton event. Other singles players also faced demanding turnarounds during the tournament. Indian player Unnati Hooda, for example, played three matches in around 26 hours before losing in the quarter-finals to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.
Sindhu did not take her defeat as a loss but was at the same time able to look to her long history with the Asian Games. The 2026 edition was her fourth consecutive edition of the continental event and she was also at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions. She is currently one of the most celebrated badminton players of India with world-level titles and Olympic medals.
Sindhu said one difficult result would not define her journey with Indian badminton. She also said that she and her team were already working on improving her ability to close out crucial moments in high-pressure matches.
The quarter-final defeat was especially significant for Indian badminton because the country's individual campaign ended without a medal at the Asian Games for the first time in 12 years. India's only badminton medal in the Aichi-Nagoya edition came from the men's team event where the Indian team won bronze.
For Sindhu, the Asian Games 2026 campaign is just another chapter in a long international career. Her reaction to the defeat highlighted both the pain of falling short at a major tournament and her ambition to keep going at the highest levels. And despite the scheduling and officiating issues that have become the main reason why she left her place in the game, Sindhu seems to be more focused now on the lessons and next steps in her career.
