PV Sindhu's Olympic journey ends: 'Maybe if I won the first set, it would have been different'

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu's quest for a third Olympic medal came to an abrupt end at the Paris Olympics. The former silver and bronze medalist fell to China's He Bing Jiao in the women's singles Round of 16.

Jiao, seeded sixth, outplayed Sindhu in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14. The match saw Sindhu fighting hard in the first set, levelling the score at 19-19. However, a crucial challenge at this juncture went in Jiao's favour, shifting the momentum decisively.

Sindhu later reflected on the match, saying, "Maybe if I won the first set, it would have been different. I would have had a lot more confidence." 

The second set saw Jiao dominate, leaving Sindhu with few opportunities to mount a comeback. Despite the loss, Sindhu remained positive, stating, "It was a sad day, but I need to keep my head high."

This defeat marks the first time Sindhu has failed to secure an Olympic medal, having won silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo.

In other badminton news, India's top-ranked doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also bowed out in the quarter-finals. However, Lakshya Sen kept Indian hopes alive by advancing to the men's singles quarter-finals, where he'll face Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen.