All England 2021: PV Sindhu bows out in semifinals, loses to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong
Hindustan TimesContingents from China, Taiwan and South Korea opted not to travel due to virus restrictions. File Photo of PV Sindhu PV Sindhu could not have been presented a better chance to become the third Indian—and the country’s first woman—after Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand to win the All England badminton title, especially after finding form with her reaching the Swiss Open final this month. The world champion lost 17-21, 9-21 to rising Thai shuttler Pornpawee Chochuwong in a 45-minute semi-final at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on Saturday. I don’t have a tournament for another month so I have time to prepare and come back stronger.” Despite starting strongly, Sindhu’s challenge fizzled out midway through the first game when the sixth-seeded Thai took a 14-7 lead. Sharp reaction backed by terrific defence to retrieve the shuttle from near impossible situations and a rubbery wrist that helped create incredible angles, the world No.11’s agility caught Sindhu off guard.