Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, lost 14-21, 13-21 in just 38 minutes to the 23-year-old Korean, who also won gold at the Paris Games. This marked Sindhu’s eighth consecutive loss to An, against whom she has never scored a victory.

The match began on a difficult note for Sindhu, who trailed 1-6 early. She narrowed the margin to 5-9 with some smart drops, but An’s sharp smashes carried her to an 11-5 lead at the interval. Though Sindhu reduced the gap to 11-14, errors cost her the first game.

In the second game, Sindhu briefly led 3-2 but soon fell behind. Despite attempting aggressive strokes, she trailed 7-8 and later 7-11 at the break. An extended her dominance to 14-7 and never allowed the Indian back.

Sindhu displayed fine net play and smashes but the Korean’s superior deception sealed the contest. An wrapped up the match with a cross-court smash, capitalising on another Sindhu error.

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