PV Sindhu's China Open campaign came to a stuttering end, losing to Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the pre-quarterfinals.
It was a three-game thriller, with the World No.15 edging past the reigning World Champion, 12-21 21-13 21-19.
The Indian shuttler began on a good note, winning the first game. Sindhu won eight consecutive points and made it look like she would be coasting past the Thai player.
But Chochuwong had other plans, staging a dramatic comeback in the second game, 21-13. She was electric and slowly cemented her domination in the game. Sindhu's errors helped her opponent build a steady momentum.
The third game turned out to be close affair, with neither shuttler letting go. It was only towards the end, that Chochuwong notched the crucial points to make it 21-19 and win the pre-quarterfinal clash.
Sindhu and Chochuwong have faced each other four times, with the former winning three times, and the latter registering her first win.
In the other matches, Indian mixed doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. Also, in the men's doubles section, Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a straight-game loss to Japan's Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda.
