India's hopes of having another All-England champion were dashed yesterday after both Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu bowed out in the quarter-finals of the premier competition in Birmingham. Sindhu lost to World No 1 Tai Tzu-Ying while Sung Ji-Hyun eliminated Nehwal in a closely fought match.

It was Women’s day indeed for the Indian contingent at the ongoing All England Open, as P.V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal both advanced to the second round. HS Prannoy produced a gutsy comeback to remain the only other Indian in the fray as the others including Kidambi Srikanth bowed out across events.

PV Sindhu has said she prefers to approach the famed All England Championship like any other Superseries event although it is the world's oldest badminton tournament and steeped in history. The 21-year-old aims to break into the top-3 by the year-end after moving up fifth in the rankings this month.

Saina Nehwal, who opted out of the Syed Modi International tournament, has confirmed that she has done so in order to keep herself fit and focused for the upcoming All England Badminton Championship. Nehwal has also opened up about her post-surgery recovery and how hard it was for her to come back.