Below par Sindhu crashes out in 1st round

Whether the Paris Olympics low was lingering months on, or it was the right hamstring that was protected with multiple kinesic tapes, PV Sindhu was a pale version of her fighting best at the All England badminton championships in Birmingham on Wednesday.

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI:

The 29-year-old belied expectations of a meaningful run into the prestigious tournament after crashing out in the first round, unable to resist the force that Korea's Kim Ga-eun rapidly grew into in a contest Sindhu lost 21-19, 13-21, 13-21 in an hour.

Sindhu is a modest world No. 16 now, a reflection of her struggles through 2024 and into the new year. She reached the quarterfinals at the India Open in Delhi to start the year, but lost in the first round of Indonesia Masters and then withdrew from the Asia mixed team event due to the hamstring problem. Kim, 27, is a more modest world No. 21, and entered the court with a heavily strapped right knee.