PV Sindhu’s campaign came to an end as she lost to China’s Wang Zhi Yi 12-21,21-11,7-21 in the semi-final of the Arctic Open badminton tournament at the Vantaa Energia Areena in Finland.
World No. 13th Sindhu started the match on the front foot and raced to a 5-2 lead. The Indian, however, failed to follow through and allowed Wang Zhi Yi to come back into the match before taking the opening game.
The Indian, who had beaten Wang Zhi Yi in both head-to-head meetings, hit back in the second game and looked comfortable from start to end.
In the deciding game, Sindhu took the early initiative and held a narrow 4-3 lead before Wang Zhi Yi turned the tables with six back-to-back points.
From that point onwards, the Indian was always playing catch up and the fifth-seeded Chinese proceeded to close out the match in one hour and three minutes.
Wang Zhi Yi had also accounted for Sindhu’s compatriot Aakarshi Kashyap in the pre-quarterfinals.
This was Sindhu’s fourth appearance in the semi-finals this season.
Results at the Arctic Open, a BWF Super 500 event, will count towards qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics.