PV Sindhu’s China Open campaign ends in heartbreak after a tough three-match battle against Chen Yufei

PV Sindhu’s impressive run at the China Open came to an end after the Indian badminton star suffered a hard-fought defeat to home favorite and world No.4 Chen Yufei in the second round on Thursday.Sindhu lost 21-16, 20-22, 18-21 in a thrilling contest that lasted nearly 90 minutes. The defeat came just days after she ended a long title drought with victory at the Japan Open and arrived in China with renewed confidence.The opening match was very close, with Sindhu fighting back from 7-13 down to level the scores at 16-16 before winning five straight points to end the match 21-16.Chen responded in dramatic fashion in the second game. Sindhu looked set to wrap up the match after reaching 20-16 but the Tokyo Olympic champion saved four game points to win the match 22-20 to force a decider.The deciding game remained even for most of the match, with both players matching each other point for point. However, at 17-17, Chen raised her level and won the deciding points to seal the match 21-18 and book her place in the quarter-finals.Despite the defeat, Sindhu showed encouraging form after her Japan Open triumph, but was unable to overcome the former Olympic champion in one of the highlight matches of the tournament.