A dejected PV Sindhu after losing the gold to Spaniard Carolina Marin at Rio Olympics 2016.
Another day, another Championship and yet another loss for PV Sindhu in the finals at the big stage. Sindhu is no doubt one of the greatest sportspersons in India but the way she falters in the finals regularly keeps her away from the glory. The 23-year old shuttler's recent loss is against Carolina Marin in BWF World Championships. She gave a tough time to Marin in the first game, but in the second she was totally trapped under the Spanish shuttler's mind games. She lost the match 19-21, 10-21 and had to be satisfied with the silver yet again.
Sindhu is an exceptional and technically gifted player but she has not been able to handle the big-final-pressure till now. The way she played throughout the tournament she became the crowd favourite but the hype around her gold medal chances crumbled again. It's the right time for the Indian shining star to take her time and change her mindset for the such crucial finals.
Here is a list of some instances when PV Sindhu lost in major finals:
1. Rio Olympics 2016
PV Sindhu became the household name in the nation when she entered the final of the Rio Olympics. Indian fans were cheering for the Women's Gold medalist, but the 23-year old shuttler could not keep her calm and lost to Carolina Marin by 19-21, 21-12, 21-15. She dropped the big round one lead to the Spaniard and even today Marin is her No.1 nemesis.
2. BWF Badminton World Championships 2017
In 2017 Sindhu was the top athlete trending all across the country after entering the finals of BWF Badminton World Championships and the nation was expecting something big from Sindhu after the Rio disappointment. The girl from Hyderabad was on fire in the finals against Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. The battle lasted for an hour and 49 minutes but after the hard-fought battle, she lost 19-21, 22-20, 20-22.
3. Hongkong Open 2017
Hongkong Open was a PV Sindhu show throughout till the finals. It was the best chance for Sindhu to prove herself at the big stage. Tai Tzu-Ying of Taiwan was her final opponent of the tournament. But Sindhu lost it in straight games with a 18-21, 18-21 score.
4. BWF Superseries 2017
Later in 2017, Sindhu continued her excellent run and entered the BWF Superseries Finals in Dubai. She was pretty dominant throughout the tournament but she couldn't break the final jinx. Sindhu got trapped into the Japanese hurdle again and this time Akane Yamaguchi clinched the victory by 21-15,12-21,19-21.
5. Commonwealth Games 2018
It was a perfect final for every Indian when the two top shuttlers of India - PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal - met each other in the final showdown. It was a win-win situation for every neutral badminton fan in India. In a clash of the titans, Sindhu choked again and lost it to senior Saina Nehwal by 21-18, 23-21.
