Sindhu's streak ends with painful Badminton Worlds exit; but fire within remains

          Ranjith Kumar/NurPhoto via Getty Images
          • Zenia D'Cunha in New Delhi
          Aug 20, 2026, 10:50 PM ET

          If there was one PV Sindhu statistic that truly encapsulated her unprecedented ability as a big-stage player, it was her record against China at the World Championships.

          In eight matches before 2026, Sindhu had never lost to a Chinese opponent at the World Championship - a streak as amazing as her joint-record five women's singles medals. This came to an end in the most brutal of manners - at a home World Championship in Delhi, after Sindhu had forced a decider, against an opponent barely able to move due to cramps. In an 88-minute marathon, Wang Zhi Yi beat the home favourite 11-21, 21-15, 17-21.

          It was heartbreaking, because of how close Sindhu came at 17-17 in the decider, and because this time, it felt like the match, and loss, was on her racquet. Not being outplayed, but being derailed.

          Speaking to the media after, she was composed as she candidly admitted that she should have been more patient and will have to learn to do that. But she was also keen to move on. "It does hurt a lot more because after you train and work hard for so long... but I think it is a game, that is how it is supposed to be."

          She was cleary affected by the loss because she alluded to Wang's fall and cramps towards the end of the match as possibly being "tactics", a glimpse into her negative emotions. She was quick to point out that she should have converted the advantage soon after, which was the key point in the loss. Sindhu lost her way after the long rallies she was forced into, Wang's fall and the time she took to reset. For a veteran like Sindhu, this should not have caused a drop in concentration or the errors it resulted in.

          All things come to an end, like Sindhu's China-beating streak at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Back then she was 29 years old and coming off injury layoffs and with two medals already, a hat-trick was always going to be a tall ask.

          Now, 31 and seven years since her last Worlds medal - a gold in 2019 - the loss to a top Chinese player hits harder than ever before. Last year at this very stage, Sindhu had stunned Wang to reach the quarterfinals in a vintage match. This time, backed by a loud home support, she fell short in a match where she had her chances... till the very end.

          And now she has to get up and dust herself back again. One of Sindhu's strong suits is the power to put a poor match behind her and move on. She's done that so often, in the past after the silver and bronze medals and more recently after close losses against the younger generation. Every time that happened, she has gotten up and started again. "I will keep trying," she said again, when asked about that elusive sixth medal - the immediate reaction trying to be positive despite being clearly disheartened at the loss. And why should she not? Just a month back, she became the oldest woman to win a BWF Super 750 title, beating world No 3 Akane Yamaguchi in the Japan Open final. There was a stroke of luck with injuries and retirements in the tournament, but she went ahead to achieve something new - her biggest BWF title outside the Worlds and year-end finals. In about a month she will have something new to chase - a first Asian Games gold, having won a silver and bronze before.

          Thai great Ratchanok Intanon - who won gold the year Sindhu won her first Worlds medal back in 2013 - is a peer who is inspired by her hunger and spoke about how the Indian, who is the same age as her, motivates her to keep going in her 30s.

          "She is something like a motivation to me... I don't give up because I see her... Actually, she can retire or stop because she already has Olympic medals (which I don't) and she has a happy life, but she is still playing. I see her and think I also have a chance, let's not give up," she told ESPN.

          To hear a former world champ say this about Sindhu is validation of the place she holds in badminton's elite tier. And also, why this loss is not the end of anything.

          Sindhu has always turned up for the next event - after surgery, when down in the rankings, when facing tough draws and climbed back up to put herself in positions to win again. To have that resilience for over a decade is in itself admirable. To add to it, she is in a great place physically, constantly trying to get better with the Temple wearable tech and working with a sports science team and Dr Wayne Lombard.

          In the end, this will remain another heartbreaking loss for Sindhu, especially at home. But when has Sindhu not bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to go try again?