PV Sindhu eliminated by Chen Yufei in Asian Games singles quarter-final

PV Sindhu lost to China’s Chen Yufei in the women’s singles quarter-final at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday, going down 21-11, 18-21, 10-21. The defeat ended Sindhu’s individual campaign at the Games.

The two-time Olympic medallist began the match strongly, taking the opening game 21-11 and appearing to control the early phases. The contest briefly looked set to finish in straight games before Chen mounted a response in the later stages. Sindhu’s initial dominance did not translate into a place in the semi-finals.

Chen Yufei produced a marked turnaround in the second game, steadily reducing Sindhu’s lead and claiming the stanza 21-18 to level the match at 1-1. The report describes that second-game win as Chen’s first real foothold in the contest. That momentum shift set up a decisive third game.

Early in the deciding game a 122-second rally took place, one of the longest exchanges of the match, after which Chen asserted control. She then extended her advantage and closed out the third game 21-10 to complete the comeback. The sequence of points in the final game allowed Chen to pull away and seal the victory.

A few days earlier India’s women’s team had been eliminated in the quarter-finals, losing 1-3 to Japan in the team event. Sindhu opened that tie against World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, winning the first game 23-21 before Yamaguchi recovered to win 21-18, 21-6. Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma also played singles in the tie, while the doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand provided India’s sole win as Japan sealed the tie 3-1.

With both the team and individual quarter-final defeats, Sindhu’s Asian Games 2026 participation concluded without a medal. Her exit follows the singles loss to Chen and India’s earlier 1-3 team quarter-final result.