India's challenge at the All England Open ended with both PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal losing their respective quarterfinal matches on Friday. While Sindhu lost 14-21, 10-21 to top-seed Tai Tzu Ying in 35 minutes, Saina lost 20-22, 20-22 to third-seed Sung Ji Hyun in 54 minutes.
Saina was leading 17-13 in the first game after a slow start but she squandered the advantage as Hyun won seven consecutive points before winning the first game 22-20. Saina had not lost a single match this year and this was only her second loss against Hyun in eight matches.
Saina had earlier defeated defending champion Nozumi Okuhara in the first round. This was her eighth consecutive quarterfinal appearance at the tournament.
Earlier, Ying was error-prone before the changeover in the first game but she came into her own post the changeover and led by a comfortable margin throughout the match.
Ying showed her range in the first game by playing a delicate drop shot as well as a powerful crosscourt smash to take a 3-1 lead. Sindhu, then showed solid retrieval skills to edge ahead to a 7-4 lead.
Sindhu trailed 10-11 at the first changeover after Ying played a lovely crosscourt drop, winning four points on the trot. World number one Ying employed the strategy of pushing Sindhu to the back of the court before playing deft drop shots to edge ahead 17-13.
Eyeing a third consecutive Superseries title, Ying won the first game in 17 minutes after a successful challenge.
The sixth-seeded Indian, who had a strapping around her right knee, was erratic with her strokes in the second game as Ying raced away to a 6-2 lead. Ying was firmly in control throughout the second game, dictating the play and engaging Sindhu in long rallies by moving her around the court. She led 11-5 at the changeover.
Ying showed great reflexes at the net by placing her dribbles perfectly as Sindhu struggled to match the variety in her opponent's strokeplay, trailing 10-17. Ying, who had another succesful challenge in the second game, closed out the game in 18 minutes.
The 22-year-old Ying now leads 6-3 in the head-to-head against Sindhu.
Ying won two Superseries tournaments last year and also emerged victorious at the season-ending finals in Dubai. Ying had also emerged victorious in their last meeting in the final of the Hong Kong Open, winning 21-15, 21-17.
On the other hand, Sindhu won one Superseries title along with a silver at the Rio Olympics, where she beat Ying in the round of 16. Ying won their next encounter comfortably in the final of the Hong Kong Open.
They had previously faced each other in this tournament in 2012 when Ying won in three games.