A day of heartbreak for Indian badminton as two of the country’s top hopes were eliminated from the Paris Olympics. The medal-favorite men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy suffered a shocking quarterfinal defeat, while PV Sindhu bowed out in the women’s singles pre-quarterfinals.

The Indian duo of Shetty and Rankireddy, who were considered strong contenders for a medal, faltered under immense pressure. Despite leading 14-11 in the deciding game, they couldn’t hold on against the Malaysian pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, eventually losing 21-13, 14-21, 16-21.

Meanwhile, Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, was unable to overcome the challenge posed by China’s He Bin Jiao. The Indian shuttler put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell short.

Lakshya Sen remains India’s sole hope for a badminton medal after defeating compatriot HS Prannoy in an all-Indian clash.

The unexpected exits of Shetty-Rankireddy and Sindhu have dealt a severe blow to India’s badminton campaign at the Paris Olympics.