PV Sindhu Ends Rut With China Open Title
The China Open was considered the “comeback” game for quite a few players, and in the women’s singles namely Saina Nehwal, Carolina Marin (Olympic gold medallist) and the Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu. All three big names in the world of badminton did not enjoy a successful spell since the Rio Olympics. Saina Nehwal has been battling injuries, while Marin and Sindhu were in the post-Olympic phase.
PV Sindhu, however, overcame the odds as the seventh seed in the tournament to win the final against Sun Yu 21-11, 17-21, 21-11.
Not an underdog anymore
Since the Rio Olympics, the country has been keenly critiquing the 21-year-old of her highs and lows. This eventually put the player in a very intractable position. Her post-Olympic record was not very satisfying, which made this a win-or-lose situation for her.
The match started off on a good note PV Sindhu. The first match against Chia Hsin Lee of Taipei was pretty much a walk-in-the-park for her. A few smashes and some shrewd techniques advanced her to the next round, squaring her off against Beiwan Zhang of USA. The first game was conceded by Zhang. However, she was able to pick herself up and take the closely fought second game at 22-20. After a nerve wrecking third game, the seventh seed clinched the match 2-1.
The real face-offs
The Quarter Final was surmised to be a tough one for Sindhu, as she was going against the feisty He Bingjao of China. The first game was quite a face off. The 21-year-old was lagging behind in the beginning of the match. But slowly, after thoroughly analyzing Bingjao’s play style, Sindhu took the first game 22-20. The second set was not as exasperating, but 19-year-old Chinese player gave quite a fight, with Sindhu advancing to the semifinal, 2-0.
The semifinal was to be fought with Sung Ji Hyun of Korea. Ji Hyun was no less, considering the fact that she advanced to the semifinal by getting past Akane Yamaguchi. The match started off on a bad note for Sindhu, as the Korean player took over the first game, 11-21. Realizing her shortcomings, Sindhu fought the second game with utter determination and undying stamina, clinching it with a remarkably competitive 23-21 to keep hopes alive.
The third and final game appeared to be a challenge for the 21-year-old. Nonetheless, PV Sindhu emulated her opponent technically and intellectually, with the game and match ending in favour of the Hyderabadi, 21-19.
The Final Strife
PV Sindhu was squaring off against an equally unrelenting Sun Yu in the final. The Chinese player seemed like quite a threat, as she did not drop a single game en-route to the final. The Hyderabadi analyzed and calculated her moves to deliver some low drops to her six feet tall opponent, which left the eighth seed in awe for a while. Post few silly mistakes made by Sun Yu, the game ended in favour of Sindhu at 21-11.
The second game too started off on a good note for the Indian. After a couple of body-line smashes, Sun Yu quickly bridged the gap and created a head to head situation. Nonetheless, Sindhu recovered soon to take the lead only to end up committing a few blunders to hand the game to her Chinese counterpart, 17-21. The third and final game for the title began with a neck-to-neck competition but as the game progressed Sindhu overwhelmed her opponent. The match culminated on favour of the Indian 21-11, 17-21, 21-11.
Can PV Sindhu continue her phenomenal comeback?
Soon after the tournament ended, tweets and wishes started flowing in, as she was, after all, the third non-Chinese athlete to win the China Open in 30 years. It definitely was a great comeback from the 21-year-old in Fuzhou. Now, she is playing at the Hong Kong Open and qualified for the semis where she will face Ngan Yi Cheung. If Sindhu wins her next match and Marin succeeds in defeating Tai Tzu Ying, we have an Olympic final rematch on the cards in Hong Kong.
The country would hope that Sindhu continues her dominating performance to end the year on a positive note.