PV Sindhu’s World Championships Run Ends in Disappointment; Lakshya Sen Advances

PV Sindhu suffered a disappointing defeat in the second round of the World Championships, losing to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 14-21, 14-21. This marks Sindhu’s first failure to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament in her career.

In contrast, Lakshya Sen had a stellar performance, defeating Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin 21-11, 21-12. Sen avenged his loss to Jeon at the 2022 Asia Team Championship.

Sen’s next opponent is likely to be Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Sen holds a 4-5 head-to-head record against Vitidsarn, but he has beaten him in their most recent meeting.

Sen displayed remarkable agility and initiative in his match against Jeon, controlling the tempo of the rallies and securing a comfortable victory. He led the first game 18-11 before sealing it with three consecutive points. In the second game, Sen maintained his dominance, clinching victory with eight match points.

Sindhu’s match against Okuhara was a one-sided affair. Both players struggled with injuries in the past year, and Okuhara capitalized on Sindhu’s lack of attacking prowess. Okuhara secured the win with a decisive performance, winning 14-21, 14-21.