PV Sindhu’s hopes of winning a world-record sixth medal on home soil ended heartbreakingly during the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi after being knocked out in the third round against third seed Wang Zhi from China in a match that will be remembered as one of the all-time greatest matches ever played in the mega event.

In a match that lasted one hour and 28 minutes, Wang won the first set by a 21-11 margin. While the game was neck-and-neck in the first few minutes, the Chinese dominated after the break and won 10 of the 12 points that were played. However, Sindhu made a strong comeback in the second set to seal a 21-15 victory and force a decider after winning six straight points from 15-15.

The deciding set was a roller-coaster affair with fortunes fluctuating between the two players. At the break, the Indian star led 11-9 before taking a 13-10 lead. However, Wang made a strong comeback to take a 15-13 lead before Sindhu equalized again.

Later at 16-16, Wang took a medical timeout after suffering from cramps. After returning to play, she won five of the six points played to seal victory.

Since her World Championships debut, this marked the first-ever instance that Sindhu has lost a completed match (walkovers not counted) to a Chinese opponent in a tournament, bringing to an end one of the most astonishing runs in the tournament’s history. Before today, she faced a Chinese shuttler eight times and won on all occasions.

Sindhu won five medals in her first six appearances in the tournament (bronze in 2013 and 2014, silver in 2017 and 2018, and gold in 2019), but since being crowned world champion for the first time in the 2019 edition in Basel, she has not stood on the podium again. The 31-year-old’s tally of five medals is the joint-most in history, but the elusive world record sixth medal continues to elude her. If Akane Yamaguchi wins her quarter-final against Mitchell Li tomorrow, the Japanese will secure the world record and title of being the first six-time medalist.