Archive · 14 Aug 2026
PV Sindhu's smash keeps Chinese stars on edge at Worlds
PV Sindhu is a very famous badminton player from India.
She plays a sport where two players hit a small shuttlecock over a net.
People know her best for hitting the shuttlecock very, very hard, which is called her big smash.
Her coach, Pullela Gopichand, says Chinese players do not enjoy facing her because they prefer smooth, steady rallies.
Since 2013, Sindhu has beaten eight Chinese players at the World Championships.
In 2019, she won the whole tournament and became the world champion.
China, which used to be very strong in this sport, has not won the women's title since 2011.
Chinese players admit that her strong attack puts them under pressure.
The next World Championships will be held in Delhi, India, which is Sindhu's home event.
The Chinese know her big smash is coming, so they will need a very good plan to stop her.
PV Sindhu has knocked out eight Chinese women's singles players across nine World Championships editions since 2013.
China has not won a women's singles World Championships title in 10 editions, dating back to Wang Yihan's win in 2011.
Coach Pullela Gopichand says 'the Chinese hate the big smash' because powerful shots disrupt their rhythm-based game.
Sindhu, the 2019 world champion, arrives in form after winning the Japan Super 750 last month.
At the upcoming World Championships in Delhi, her home event, Sindhu could meet Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarters.
- Who
- PV Sindhu, India's top women's singles shuttler, her former coach Pullela Gopichand, and Chinese players Chen Yufei and Wang Zhi Yi, who have admitted to feeling pressure from her attack.
- What
- A preview of why PV Sindhu's powerful smash makes her a recurring threat to China's women's singles players at the World Championships.
- When
- Ahead of the upcoming World Championships in Delhi; Sindhu last won the title in 2019 and claimed the Japan Super 750 last month.
- Where
- Delhi, India, venue of the upcoming World Championships.
- Why
- Because her big smash breaks the rhythm of Chinese players, while China seeks to end a 15-year women's singles title drought.
- Athlete
- PV Sindhu (India)
- Sport
- Badminton — women's singles
- Chinese players beaten at Worlds
- 8 across 9 editions (2013–2025)
- China's last women's singles World title
- Wang Yihan, 2011
- Sindhu's World Championships title
- Gold in 2019
- Coach
- Pullela Gopichand
- Recent form
- Japan Super 750 title last month
- World No. 1 women's singles player
- An Se-young (Korean)