PV Sindhu Fuming Over "Unfair" Call As She Loses Semi-Finals At Badminton Asia Championships To Akane Yamaguchi

PV Sindhu lost in three games against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the Badminton Asia Championships semi-final on Saturday, and had to settle for a bronze medal. The 26-year-old Indian Olympic medalist got off to a good start in the match but couldn't keep it up, losing 21-13, 19-21, 16-21 against top seed and world No. 2 Yamaguchi in a one-hour and six-minute contest.

 

However, Sindhu's relationship with the chair umpire was rocky, as the Indian thought she was the victim of a bad call that influenced the match's outcome. Sindhu had won the first game 21-13 and was leading the second game 14-11 when the dispute erupted. The fourth-seeded Sindhu was given a point penalty for taking too long to serve between points at this moment, which led to a disagreement with the chair umpire.

 

The two-time Olympic medalist was spotted fighting with the referee, claiming that she needed more time to serve since her opponent was not ready. But her pleadings were ignored, and Yamaguchi was docked one point.

Nice umpiring! #BAC2022 pic.twitter.com/3EgLS4kW7n

— Sammy (@Sammy58328) April 30, 2022

 

Excellent umpiring! pic.twitter.com/3EgLS4kW7n #BAC2022

30 April 2022 — Sammy (@Sammy58328)

Yamaguchi battled back and won the game to advance to the third game of the match. The Japanese won the semi-final after dominating the third game. 

Sindhu remarked after the match, "The umpire warned me you're taking a long time, but the opponent wasn't ready at that point."

"However, the umpire awarded her the point unexpectedly, which was really unjust. One of the reasons I lost, I believe, was because of this. That is my impression because the score was 14-11 at the time and might have easily risen to 15-11, but instead it fell to 14-12, and she continued to score. And I believe that was unjust. Perhaps I would have won the match and advanced to the championship game."

PV Sindhu didn't hold back in her post-match interaction. "Totally unfair on the umpire's part," she says for asking her to hand over the serve to Akane Yamaguchi at 14-11 for apparent delay. #BAC2022

🎥 Badminton Asia Instagram #BAC2022 pic.twitter.com/DKUUusL2s3

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) April 30, 2022

 

 

PV Sindhu was feisty in her post-match interview. She calls the umpire's request to pass up the serve to Akane Yamaguchi at 14-11 for apparent delay "very unjust." #BAC2022

 

Instagram: Badminton Asia #BAC2022 pic.twitter.com/DKUUusL2s3 

30 April 2022 — Vinayakk (@vinayakkm)

 

"After the match, Sindhu stated, "The umpire warned me you're taking a long time, but the opponent wasn't ready at that point." However, the umpire awarded her the point unexpectedly, which was quite unjust. One of the reasons I lost, I believe, was because of this. That is my impression because the score was 14-11 at the time and might have easily risen to 15-11, but instead it fell to 14-12, and she continued to score. And I believe that was unjust. Perhaps I would have won the match and advanced to the championship game."