French Open: World No. 1 Tai too good for P.V. Sindhu

After Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu also bowed out of the 2019 French Open when she lost 16-21,26-24,17-21 to world no. 1 Tai Tzu Yingh in the quarterfinal.

P.V. Sindhu valiant effort proved to be insufficient as she went down in a three-game encounter.(File Photo)

India ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu crashed out of French Open 2019, losing a 75-minute contest to World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying. The Taiwanese beat the Indian 21-16, 24-26, 21-17 in the quarterfinal in Paris on Friday.

World No. 6 Sindhu started poorly. She hadn't dropped a single game in the tournament until this match.

Sindhu handed a 1-0 advantage to Tai as she lost the first game in 18 minutes.

Tai set the tone with the very first point by bagging a winner with a down the line smash. Both players indulged in an intense battle, not allowing each other to run away with the lead.

The 24-year-old pulled back to level at 8-8 and made sure she was well within Tai's reach, who eventually clinched the first game 21-16.

In the second game, the Indian shuttler started positively by taking a 5-3 lead. Aided by two mishits at the net and a few unforced errors from the Taiwanese shuttler, Sindhu managed to inch ahead 8-6.

But her opponent wasn't done.

The 25-year-old made her way back into the contest, leading 11-10 at the halfway mark, similar to the first set script.

Sindhu, then, wrestled her way back into the encounter by reducing the parity to take the lead at 15-14. Tai continued to show great tactical awareness with a flurry of down the line smashes to make it 18-18.

Tai, then, frustrated Sindhu further by saving four game points with her tremendous defensive skills. In the end, it all came down to who handled the pressure better. The Indian shuttler emerged on top after an intense fight that took the quarterfinal into the decider.

Tai's go-to shot, the drop shots, proved to be her biggest foe as she conceded the second game 24-26 after numerous mistimed drops and drew curtains on the game by hitting a smash just wide.

Long, daunting rallies in the previous set had a visible effect on both the players in the third game. While a tired Sindhu struggled to cover the court as well, Tai continued to make unforced errors at the net.

Despite fighting tooth and nail, Sindhu could not prevent the loss as she went down 17-21 in the final game.

Tai qualified for the semifinals of the French Open for the fifth time.