PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty eliminated as India exits BWF World Championships singles

PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty suffered pre-quarterfinal defeats to end India's singles campaign, as Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the last eight.

New Delhi, August 20: In a major upset for the Indian fans, star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu's BWF World Championships 2026 campaign came to an end on Thursday as she lost to China's Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium in New Delhi. With her exit, India's hopes of a medal in the singles competition have also ended.Sindhu lost the closely fought match 21-11, 15-21, 21-17. The Indian made a strong comeback after losing the first game, but Wang held her nerve in the decider to book her place in the quarterfinals. Heartbreak for PV Sindhu after an absolute marathon battle. Wang Zhi Yi wins in three games.But Sindhu gave it absolutely everything she had. As she always does. Take a bow, champion! #SmashForIndia #BWFWorldChampionships #NewDelhi2026 pic.twitter.com/8zT5ciP7mq— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) August 20, 2026 The Chinese shuttler also appeared to struggle with cramps several times during the match. Despite the physical trouble, Wang continued to fight and managed to finish the contest in three games.Sindhu had chances to put more pressure on her opponent, especially in the deciding game, but Wang produced the crucial points when it mattered. The defeat means Sindhu's hopes of winning another World Championships medal have come to an end.Wang Zhi Yi collapses on court one last time. She seemed to have injured herself late in her match but she digs deep to beats PV Sindhu 21-11 15-21 21-17 in an hour 27 minutes and advance into the women's singles quarters.Sindhu's run without a world medal extends to its 7th year pic.twitter.com/1DTHLk1DFn— jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) August 20, 2026 Ayush Shetty Crashes Out Of BWF World Championships 2026 After Losing To Alwi Farhan In Pre-QuarterfinalsSindhu had entered the pre-quarterfinals after beating Canada's Wen Yu Zhang 21-16, 21-17 in the Round of 32. She had also defeated Ireland's Rachael Darragh in the opening round.With PV Sindhu's exit, India's singles medal hopes are over as Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty had already been knocked out before her.INDIAN SINGLES JOURNEY ENDS PV Sindhu lost to China's Wang Zhi Yi, 21-11, 15-21, 17-21, in the Round of 16 at the World Championships in New Delhi.This was Sindhu's first-ever loss to a Chinese player at the World Championships.With Sindhu's exit, no Indian singles player… pic.twitter.com/CXEDD5MLPn— myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) August 20, 2026 Lakshya suffered a shock second-round defeat to USA's Garret Tan, while Ayush lost to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan in the pre-quarterfinals. However, India's overall medal hopes are still alive in doubles.Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have reached the quarterfinals and are just one win away from securing a medal, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also still in the men's doubles draw.