PV Sindhu ran into familiar finishing blues playing Chen Yufei, as she frittered four match points to exit China Open Super 1000, losing 21-16, 20-22, 18-21. It was all of her nightmares coming together — a wasted lead from the brink of winning, two poor leaves on the lines that landed IN and exhaustion killing her power-switch from the backcourt to watch smashes land in the net. Winner of the Japan Open last week, Sindhu was expected to be exhausted. But she defied it all to get to match point against an opponent, a form Olympic champ, backed by the home crowd. She even led 15-13 in the decider. But the finishing got fluffed as Yufei emboldened by her audacious second set heist, earned the decider and then ruled it.Though Sindhu’s attack was good enough till the 15-point mark, Yufei had too much mental momentum riding her way, as she knew the Sindhu smash was fading out in strength with her 7th match in 10 days. The win came from Yufei pushing the Indian back, inviting a smash, which shorn off strength, went too flat – into the meshing. It was a lesson for Irwansyah if he needs to take Sindhu to the 2019 levels — she simply needs point-by-point instructions when closing out, wven at 31. Because impatience can resurface like a nut-allergy in her case and undo all her hard work. The first set fightback from Sindhu had started at the interval with an Irwansyah pep talk. The Indian trailed 6-12, a formidable lead given Yufei’s ability to forge on. But it was this very assurance that was disrupted by Sindhu’s persistence that quietly tuned out the noisy Chinese home crowd.It wasn’t a flurry of an attack. Instead, she played the criss-crosses making Yufei twist and turn just as the coach had urged. The winners had been tough to plough down with Yufei’s stubborn defense and being better at the flatter game. The Chinese World No 4 also has a heavy shoulder smash that got matters standing at 6-12. The crisscross holding attack of Sindhu’s achieved the needful: it drew out errors in quick succession on the flanks, as the angles of returns triggered wide smash returns, and her efforts to bypass to the back ended up long. With every error, you could see the clouding doubts engulf Yufei’s game as the pace slowed down. And Sindhu went for the kill. Story continues below this adA zip-smash for 15-13 from Yufei was her last retort, but a 44-shot rally in the next minute brought her undone. The retrieves were eye-popping from both women though the Chinese was unfortunately guilty of chasing shuttles that were clearly going wide. It ended with a body smash to bring Sindhu to within 14-15 of her opponent. The long rally had taken a toll. Yufei errors kept streaming as Sindhu levelled at 16-all. She nailed the next on the line, as the Chinese referral was unsuccessful. Sindhu though ended the set taking 15 of the last 19 points, painstakingly drawing out Chinese errors from wide smashes.A big smash to the open back court gave Sindhu a 20-16 set point, and a delectable drop to front court gave her the opener against all expectations.It all unraveled in the second set in mirror-fashion, as Sindhu fritters 4 match points, and showed familiar finishing blues. The Indian World No 8 had the lead from Point 1 to 20, before she crumbled from impatience.Story continues below this adSindhu had been imposing with a double body smash attack to take off at 5-2. The attacking hits increased in volume, with a massive shoulder-smssh to get to 10-7 and then a conventional hammering shot to take the 11-7 lead. She even had a surging forward cross net swoosh kill to keep the lead at 14-11, and despite Yufei threatening to overturn things at 16-18, Sindhu was up 20-16. Then panic struck.A 37-shot rally where Yufei showed why she is an Olympic champion, had tired, tormenting but tenacious retrieves as the Chinese got one back from a desperate out of position reflex return. The Chinese would incredibly get 6 in a row, as Sindhu let go a shuttle on the backline — the first signs of fatigue clouding judgment and the Indian hoping, wishing to get the points. The hope to get it done anyhow – despite knowing an opponent like Yufei doesn’t give up till the last point. Yufei took her tenacity the whole distance. Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More