World champion PV Sindhu suffered defeat at the hands of Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi in a closely-fought quarter-final match to bow out of the Indonesia Masters badminton tournament in Jakarta on Thursday. Sindhu lost 21-16, 16-21, 19-21 in a thrilling match that lasted 66 minutes.
The world No 6 had a superior 4-2 head-to-head record against the 14th ranked Japanese before the match. Takahashi had defeated another top Indian, Saina Nehwal, in the second round.
Sindhu had blazed away into the lead by pocketing the first game before the 27-year-old made a spirited comeback in the second game to take the match into the decider. The reigning world champion was down 0-7 and fought back well but wasn’t enough to get the better of her opponent. The final game was a nail-biting contest but Takahashi closed out the contest to end the Indian challenge at the event.