So that's another year where PV Sindhu didn't find success at the All England Open. On Thursday, in her second-round match against Japan's Sayaka Takahashi she came undone in three games 19-21, 21-16, 17-21.
In 10 appearances so far at the tournament, the two-time Olympic medallist has never made it to the final.
Is it surprising?
Well, since this is Sindhu and a major tournament, yes. But Sindhu against a left-hander? Not so much. This is her third loss in a row against Takahashi after defeats at the 2021 French Open and the Indonesia Masters in 2020.
What is it with Sindhu and southpaws?
Left-handers can often throw up confounding angles that can trip up right-handers. For Sindhu, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin has often been a hurdle too high. At the start of this year, Sindhu ran into left-handed Supanida Katethong of Thailand at the India Open. Katethong stunned her with her deceptive angles. Sindhu, though, avenged that defeat a week later at the Syed Modi International.
Against Takahashi, there were moments when Sindhu looked like she was in control. In the third game when she began to take a slide in the scores, she began dithering in her tactical choices and that may have cost her the match. Sindhu has spoken in the past about how not being in complete charge of rallies or a game can sometimes upset her rhythm. She loathes being trapped in such situations.
The aggressive, almighty power-dripping game in which she appears in her best natural elements, flattening opponents at will has made way for a widened repertoire and a sturdier defence. The Sindhu of today has added new weapons - the deceptive half smashes and cross drops and uses her attack for the final kill. But it's in trailing positions that she now perhaps second-guesses herself more. The Sindhu from three years ago would have beaten opponents with raw attack, now she can on occasion be a touch tentative with her ruthlessness. Still, it's somewhat baffling as to why a game that covers more bases should not be good enough to see her through to a quarterfinal.
What next for Sindhu?
She travels to Basel now, for next week's Swiss Open. Sindhu is seeded second at the Super 300 event in a field that's not exactly star studded. It is missing the usual disruptors in her path - world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying, both the top Japanese players Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara, as well as the plucky Korean 20-year old, An Seyoung. It could be a great opportunity for Sindhu to win her second Tour title this year, after the Syed Modi International in January. It may not quite compensate for her continued All England misery, but still offers a reason to pick herself up for a fresh week's title chase.