New Delhi, Sept. 27 -- India's badminton campaign at the 20th Asian Games culminated in a day of sheer heartbreak at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, spearheaded by the exit of the nation's biggest star in the sport, PV Sindhu.

Carrying the weight of India's last hope in badminton, the two-time Olympic medallist stepped on to the court on Sunday against 2021 Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei in a high-stakes quarter-final that guaranteed a medal for the victor.

Sindhu entered the contest with a 7-9 career deficit against the world No.4, though she had previously overcome Chen when the Chinese player retired while Sindhu was leading in the Japan Open semifinals (which the Indian eventually won).

However, it wasn't to be as the ...