PV Sindhu dealt surprising loss by world no.9, suffers first round exit in Indonesian Open

PV Sindhu. File Pic/ AFP

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu made a shock first round exit from the Indonesian Open Super 1000 event. China's He Bing Jiao defeated her 14-21 18-21 in straight games.

Sindhu, a former world champion, has won two Super 300 titles -- the Syed Modi International and the Swiss Open -- this season. She also has two Olympic medals in her impressive tally.

In many ways, world no.9 Bing Jiao avenged herself. Sindhu had defeated her at the Badminton Asia Championship, but by virtue of this win, Bing Jiao leads the head-to-head record with Sindhu 10-8.

This unexpected exit hinders Sindhu's preparations for the all important Commonwealth Games that kick off in Birmingham next month.

However, she wasn't the only Indian to suffer a disappointing exit at the event. B Sai Praneeth also lost his match against Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus 16-21 19-21, and now finds himself ousted from the tournament.

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The mixed doubles pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto faced similar fate. They crashed out in the opening round after losing 14-21 11-21 to Hong Kong duo of Chang Tak Ching and NG Wing Yung Hong. The game merely lasted a little over half an hour.

In the Sindhu vs Bing Jiao match, the Indian started off sluggishly with the Chinese not allowing her to get a grip. Bing Jiao rapidly raced to a 9-2 lead, making it 11-4 at the break.

Sindhu picked up the pace after the break and started playing aggressively. However, the Chinese kept her focus and didn't let Sindhu get a foot in the game.

All hopes that Sindhu had for a rapid response in the second game evaporated quickly. Bing Jiao raced to a 5-1 lead before continuing to edge out Sindhu as she sealed the win.

(With inputs from PTI)