PV Sindhu Continues to Struggle for Form as Indian Badminton Ace Knocked Out in Opening Round of Japan Open

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has endured a torrid run of form in the recent seasons and that continued unabated as she was knocked out in the opening round of the Japan Open badminton tournament in the first round match itself. 

Sindhu was up against South Korea's Sim Yu Jin but it was outclassed and suffered a straight games defeat, losing 15-21, 14-21 and ending her challenge at the Super 750 tournament. 

The result is a concerning one for the 30-year-old as it shows that she is seemingly out of answers when it comes to reversing the slump that she finds herself in recently. 

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Sindhu's Troubling Run of Form

The first round loss in Japan was the seventh straight occasion that Sindhu fail to make it beyond the second round in a badminton tournament. 

To make things worse, five first round exits came in the calendar year 2025 itself - highlighting how poor her recent run of form has been. 

Her display in the Japan Open will do very little to inspire any confidence either - she was defeated in just over 30 minutes and had a time to forget on the court, where she made a number of unforced errors and did not look like competing barring a brief spell in the second game. 

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A Legendary Past, But An Uncertain Future

Sindhu's list of accomplishments means she could retire tomorrow and still be up there as arguably the greatest female shuttler the country has ever produced. 

She has won 2 Olympic medals - silver in 2016, bronze in 2021 - and is only the second woman to win 5 medals at the BWF World Championships. 

Besides this, Sindhu has also won multiple medals at sports meets such as the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games too, aside from multiple BWF tour titles. 

Yet major injury layoffs have seemingly taken a toll on her body and the Hyderabad girl is in danger of being surpassed by other athletes from the sport.