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PV Sindhu's comeback from injury hasn't gone the way she would have liked as the two-time Olympic medalist slumped to a first-round defeat at the All England Open on Wednesday (March 15).
It was the third first-round loss on the BWF World Tour for the World No. 9. This time the Indian shuttle queen fell 17-21, 11-21 to 17th-ranked Zhang Yi Man, who won the Thailand Masters in February.
Sindhu returned to action in January this year after being on the sidelines for five months due to a hairline fracture on her left ankle that she sustained at the Commonwealth Games last August.
Since then, nothing has gone right for the Indian superstar. The crushing blow in Birmingham comes on the back of a 12-21, 21-10, 15-21 defeat to Carolina Marin at the Malaysia Open and a 14-21, 20-22 loss to Supanida Katethong at the India Open.
Speaking to the media post her R1 exit at the All England Open, PV Sindhu admitted that the mental adjustment after her injury has taken longer than expected.
“It was a hairline fracture on my left ankle," she was quoted as saying by the BWF. "I stopped after the Commonwealth Games, it took me time because I was immobile. This is my second major injury, the first one was in 2015 and took me six months. You need to get the rhythm, it takes time mentally even though you are fit.”
Sindhu appeared to be a pale shadow of herself during the match. Defensive and uncertain of her tactics, the Indian shuttler succumbed in just 39 minutes on Wednesday.
She is also undergoing a change in her coaching set-up, having parted ways with South Korea’s Park Tae-Sang, who was instrumental in her Commonwealth Games triumph. The Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist has now teamed up with Malaysian Hafiz Hashim, who won the All England Open in 2003.
Clearly, the transition is taking time to show results, but the former world champion remains positive and is eager to quickly bounce back.
“It’s fine now but it’s taking me time to find my rhythm,” Sindhu said on her injury. “It’s just the rhythm, you need to get it and then you’ll be there. It’s just my third tournament this year. I’m a bit sad, but it’s important to bounce back.”
Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand knock out 7th seeds at All England Open
While PV Sindhu crashed out early, the young women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand brought smiles back to the faces of Indian badminton fans.
Jolly and Gopichand knocked out seventh seeds Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai, a pair they have lost to four times previously.
The rising Indian pair have made rapid strides over the past few months. They made a surprise run to the semifinals of the All England Open last year and also clinched a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and Kidambi Srikanth have all progressed to the second round in the men's singles category. Commonwealth Games men's doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also through to the last 16.
