Why PV Sindhu was shown a Red Card during her Indonesia Masters quarterfinal loss

India’s Olympic medallist PV Sindhu bowed out of the Indonesia Masters on Friday after a straight-games defeat to top seed Chen Yu Fei, but the match was also marked by on-court drama as Sindhu was shown a red card during the second game.

The Super 500 contest ended 21-13, 21-17 in favour of the Chinese world No. 4, bringing India’s campaign at the tournament to a close.

Advertisement

The incident occurred midway through the second game when Sindhu, trailing 12-17, engaged in a heated exchange with the chair umpire over a disputed point. The confrontation led to the Indian being shown a yellow card, followed swiftly by a red card, sparking brief chaos on court.

The referee soon stepped in to defuse the situation and restore calm. After intervention, the red card was eventually overturned. The stoppage appeared to briefly lift Sindhu’s intensity, as she clawed her way back to narrow the gap to 17-18, but Chen Yu Fei held her nerve to close out the match.

On court, it was largely a one-sided affair. Chen Yu Fei dominated the opening game, racing to a 21-13 win by repeatedly targeting Sindhu’s backhand with well-placed half-smashes. Although Sindhu stayed within touching distance at 8-11, the momentum shifted decisively when the Chinese shuttler began unleashing full-blooded smashes to Sindhu’s forehand, ending rallies early and stretching the Indian’s defence.

Sindhu found some success late in the first game by exploiting space in the forecourt on Chen Yu Fei’s backhand side, picking up two quick points, but the deficit proved too large to overturn.

India’s challenge at the Indonesia Masters ended earlier in the day with Lakshya Sen also crashing out. The seventh seed and world No. 12 was beaten in straight games by Thailand’s Panitchapon Teeraratsakul, ranked 44th in the world.

Playing on the adjacent Court 2, Lakshya struggled to cope with the relentless pace and attacking intent of the 21-year-old Thai, who repeatedly broke through despite the Indian’s impressive defensive skills. Panitchapon sealed a 20-18, 22-20 victory to cause one of the upsets of the tournament.