PV Sindhu crashes out of pre-quarters of Badminton Asia Championships after losing to China's Han Yue

Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu put up a valiant fight but was ultimately outperformed by sixth seed Han Yue of China in a grueling pre-quarterfinal match at the Badminton Asia Championships on Thursday.

Sindhu, who is determined to regain her form ahead of the Paris Olympics, battled fiercely for an hour and nine minutes before succumbing to Yue with a score of 18-21, 21-13, 17-21. This defeat came as a surprise, as Sindhu had previously held a flawless 5-0 record against Yue before their match on Thursday.

In other Indian results, the women's doubles team of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also faced defeat in the pre-quarterfinals, losing 17-21, 12-21 to the third-seeded Japanese pair of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida.

The match began with the Indian player showing great promise in the first game, utilizing her experience to quickly establish an 8-4 lead. However, as errors began to surface in Sindhu's game, the Chinese player mounted a courageous comeback.

Engaging Sindhu in lengthy rallies, the Chinese competitor managed to level the score at 15-15, seizing the momentum and ultimately securing the first game in her favor.