PV Sindhu Crashes Out Of BWF World Championships 2026 Pre-Quarterfinals Despite Wang Zhi Yi Battling Cramps; India's Singles Medal Hopes End

New Delhi, August 20: In a major upset for the Indian fans, star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu's BWF World Championships 2026 campaign came to an end on Thursday as she lost to China's Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in New Delhi. With her exit, India's hopes of a medal in the singles competition have also ended.

Sindhu lost the closely fought match 21-11, 15-21, 21-17. The Indian made a strong comeback after losing the first game, but Wang held her nerve in the decider to book her place in the quarterfinals.

The Chinese shuttler also appeared to struggle with cramps several times during the match. Despite the physical trouble, Wang continued to fight and managed to finish the contest in three games.

Sindhu had chances to put more pressure on her opponent, especially in the deciding game, but Wang produced the crucial points when it mattered. The defeat means Sindhu's hopes of winning another World Championships medal have come to an end.

Sindhu had entered the pre-quarterfinals after beating Canada's Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17 in the Round of 32. She had also defeated Ireland's Rachael Darragh in the opening round.

With PV Sindhu's exit, India's singles medal hopes are over as Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty had already been knocked out before her.

Lakshya suffered a shock second-round defeat to USA's Garret Tan, while Ayush lost to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan in the pre-quarterfinals. However, India's overall medal hopes are still alive in doubles.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have reached the quarterfinals and are just one win away from securing a medal, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also still in the men's doubles draw.