Sindhu went down 16-21, 15-21 to the Chinese shuttler, missing an opportunity to avenge her loss to Wang, who had beaten her in last year\u2019s final. The defeat also ended India\u2019s challenge in the season-opening Super 1000 tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The two-time Olympic medallist entered the contest as the underdog and struggled to sustain momentum against the aggressive Chinese player. Wang repeatedly forced Sindhu into baseline errors with her attacking approach and controlled the key exchanges, eventually closing out the match in just under an hour to book her place in the final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the straight-game loss, Sindhu felt the contest was more competitive than the scoreline suggested. \u201cAt this stage, it\u2019s going to be a hard game, and there aren\u2019t going to be easy points,\u201d Sindhu said after the match. \u201cThere were really long rallies, and I felt it was a good game overall, even though it ended in two sets. She was on the winning side today.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sindhu rued letting a strong position slip in the second game, where she led 11-6 at the mid-game interval before Wang clawed her way back to level the scores at 13-13. \u201cAt 11-6, maybe I should have taken two or three points in a row to maintain the lead,\u201d she said. \u201cBut in a match like this, you can\u2019t expect it to be easy even when you\u2019re leading.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The semifinal appearance marked Sindhu\u2019s first at a major tournament in 14 months and her first event since returning from injury, a fact that left her encouraged despite the loss. She said the performance had given her confidence heading into the upcoming Indian Open, where she will compete on home soil.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was a good tournament for me. It\u2019s important that I rest now and get going for the India Open. Starting the season with a performance like this gives me a lot of confidence and motivation, especially after coming back from an injury,\u201d Sindhu mentioned.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The semifinal appearance marked Sindhu\u2019s first at a major tournament in 14 months and her first event since returning from injury, a fact that left her encouraged despite the loss. She said the performance had given her confidence heading into the upcoming Indian Open, where she will compete on home soil.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian ace will now shift her focus to the India Open 2026, which begins on Tuesday at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n