Thailand Open 2022: PV Sindhu succumbs to Chen Yu Fei in semis; social media upset

PV Sindhu's stint came to a premature end in the Thailand Open 2022. She was ousted in the semis by Chen Yu Fei in straight sets (17-21, 16-21).

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu suffered yet another heartbreak in the 2022 Thailand Open. She was ousted in the semis by Chen Yu Fei of China in straight sets (17-21, 16-21). The year 2022 has been inconsistent for the Indian, while it could be a matter of concern ahead of her participation in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham a couple of months later. What's surprising is that Sindhu's defeat came after she upset world number one Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the quarterfinal on Friday. It happened to be the 11th meeting between Sindhu and Chen, while Sindhu led 6-4 before the defeat on Saturday.

As for Sindhu's stint in the Thailand Open, she began with a win over Lauren Lam of the United States of America (USA), followed by a win against Sim Yu Jin of South Korea in the pre-quarters. On the other hand, Chen was coming off a win over Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in the first round, Zhang Yi Man of China in the pre-quarters and Michelle Li of Canada in the quarterfinal.

During the match, both Sindhu and Chen were involved in a cross-court smash session, while a couple of successful challenges favouring the Chinese saw the Indian trailing. Sindhu never really managed to take the lead except when she began the set. A failed drop shot that smashed her net gave Chen a win in the opening set, 21-17.

Sindhu was doing tremendously well in the second set and was leading 11-9 before Chen upped her ante. Thereon, the Indian could manage to get just five more points, while in the end, a body shot by the Chinese knocked out the former and booked her place in the final. In 2022, Sindhu has won just a couple of tournaments so far (Syed Modi International and Swiss Open).