World Badminton Championships 2018: From Rio heartbreak to Nanjing defeat, a look at PV Sindhu's losses at major finals

Every time PV Sindhu falters in the final of the major event, this quote of national coach Pullela Gopichand comes to mind: “I am not too bothered about a loss if the progression is happening. We are talking about very high-level players here, World No 1’s and 3’s. It is not like we have been producing World No 1’s forever in our country,” Gopichand was quoted as saying in February.

“World No 1 Tai Tzu Ying is playing well but Sindhu beat her at the Olympics when it mattered. She also reached the world championship finals. Yes, some may argue that second is not good enough but I am more positive. I am happy with her result. I cannot think of it as a failure even by 1 percent,” he added.

While Sindhu faces criticism for yet another defeat in a major final, playing in the summit showdown of a tournament still remains a big achievement in itself for the 23-year-old shuttler. Exactly three months ago, Sindhu stated that it doesn’t really affect her. “People might be talking but I think reaching the finals is itself a very big thing,” she said  in May.

“Before I used to lose in the quarter-finals, semi-finals but now I am reaching the finals, so I am going a step ahead.

“I might lose at times which are very, very close matches, it’s her (opponent) game or my game in that situation, so if you lose it’s not like I regret anything but I would learn from the mistakes and try to come back stronger.”

On Sunday, the 23-year old shuttler suffered yet another loss to Carolina Marin in the title clash of the World Badminton Championships. Sindhu squandered a four-point lead against Marin in the first game, but in the second she was totally trapped under the Spanish shuttler’s variety of attacking strokes. Sindhu eventually went home with a silver after a 19-21, 10-21 loss.

Here is a list of some instances when Sindhu succumbed to pressure in major finals:

Sindhu-Marin classic

PV Sindhu took the women’s singles circuit by surprise when she steamrolled fellow shuttlers to reach the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics. All of 21 then, Sindhu played brilliantly to bag the first game but lost the next two against an in-form Marin 19-21, 21-12, 21-15.

Okuhara-Sindhu rivalry

Having already won two bronze medals at the World Badminton Championships, this was Sindhu’s chance of bringing the gold medal home. Up against Nozomi Okuhara, nobody apart from the coaches and athletes knew that the battle would last or an hour and 49 minutes. Eventually, Sindhu squandered her lead in the first game and the decider to lose the battle by a wafer-thin margin 19-21, 22-20, 20-22.

Saina’s den

A final between Sindhu and Saina Nehwal is a treat to watch for every Indian badminton fan, especially at a major event like the Commonwealth Games. The youngster looked completely off-colour as Nehwal won gold with a 21-18, 23-21 win.

Yamaguchi’s resilience

The year 2017 proved to be a fruitful year for the Indian ace as she won two Superseries tournaments and continued her excellent run at the BWF Superseries Finals in Dubai. She relied on her attack to dominate opponents throughout the tournament, however, she faltered at the very last hurdle. Sindhu succumbed to Akane Yamaguchi’s retrieving abilities in three games to lose yet another major final. Yamaguchi clinched the win 21-15,12-21,19-21.

Marin roars back

This was arguably Sindhu’s best chance of winning gold at the World Badminton Championships. It was a chance to put a gloss on her consistent performances and end the final jinx. However, she faltered yet again. She let Marin take the lead after the mid-game break of the opening game as Marin raced away to take the second game and her third Worlds gold.