After raising hopes, Sindhu falls in thrilling quarter-finals

The 30-year-old fought hard before going down in three games against the ninth seed Wardani

- Sandip Sikdar

This one’s going to hurt PV Sindhu. Especially after her outstanding display a day prior where she unshackled herself to come out with a dominant performance to oust world No.2 ‘Wang Zhi Yi of China, effectively causing the upset of the event

The former world champion had raised hopes. Also, in Indonesian ninth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani she wasn't facing a daunting opponent but a player who Sindhu had beaten twice in the past in four meetings, a player who is yet to stamp her authority on the tour.

Yet it wasn't to be as the double Olympic medallist’s journey atthe BWF World Championships - a tournament she had made her own in the past decade with five medals-ended on Friday. Playing her first women’s singles quarterfinal since January, the 30-year-old fought hard and gave it her all before going down 14-21, 21-13, 16-21 in an hour and four minutes at Paris’ Adidas Arena.

By reaching the semis, where she will face two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, an emotional Wardani ensured her first World Championships medal, thereby achieving her first notable achievement in the highest tier of the sport.