Sindhu knocked out in Korea Open 1st round; plenty of work for new coach Hafiz Hashim

PV SINDHU WAS eliminated from the Korea Open Super 500 event in the very first round today.

Facing world number 22 player Pai Yu Po, she suffered a 18-21, 21-10, 13-21 defeat. The loss continues her run of bad form in recent weeks which has also seen her world rank slide down.

Sindhu had, two days ago, announced that former Malaysian shuttler Muhammad Hafiz Hashim will be her new coach. A two-time Olympic medallist, she parted ways with her former coach, the Republic of Korea’s Park Tae-Sang, in February 2023.

Sindhu had been training on and off with Hafiz Hashim at Hyderabad’s Suchitra Badminton Academy (SBA) since her split with the South Korean but only announced him officially as her coach on Tuesday. Hafiz Hashim arrives as a full-time coach when PV Sindhu has slipped to world No. 17 in the latest badminton world rankings. It is her worst since January 2013.

“After a long drawn-out process, I am ecstatic to declare that I have chosen the incredible Hafiz Hashim as my coach,” PV Sindhu said on Twitter. “Hafiz possesses all the traits I was seeking in a coach, including the height, speed, and an attacking instinct. As a former All England champion in 2003, he sure has the pedigree as well.”

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