PV Sindhu wins battle of heavyweights, reaches final of India Open
PV Sindhu reached within a match of defending her India Open crown with an impressive 21-13, 21-15 semi-final victory over the former World No.1. (Source: PTI) PV Sindhu reached within a match of defending her India Open crown with an impressive 21-13, 21-15 semi-final victory over the former World No.1. (Source: PTI)
Ratchanok Intanon is known for her deceptive wristwork and delicate touch play on court. But those watching the Thai artiste play for the first time on Saturday will hardly know that. Faced with a constant barrage from the other side of the court, she had few answers as PV Sindhu reached within a match of defending her India Open crown with an impressive 21-13, 21-15 semi-final victory over the former World No.1.
It was supposed to be a close match but Sindhu seemed to be in the zone. Her all-out attacking game kept Ratchanok off-balance throughout the 48-minute contest. Being kept constantly on the move did not allow the Thai girl to bring her strengths into play. Sindhu, on the other hand, used her superior reach and athleticism to good effect and was in total control of proceedings.
The Indian will face Beiwen Zhang in the final, after the Chinese-American beat Honh Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi 14-21, 21-12, 21-19 in an hour and three minutes.
“Our styles (Ratchanok and me) have a similar playing style, so it was important to take the initiative and play aggressive,” Sindhu said after the match. The match began close to a quarter past 10 in the evening, and it was important for both players to take control early to have some recovery time before the final.
And it was Sindhu who set the tone early. Ratchanok had taken a 3-1 lead but it was as good as it got for the Thai for a long period as Sindhu reeled off 12 points in a row to more or less put the first game to bed.
The normally calm Ratchanok was forced into rushing for her shots, and making some uncharacteristic errors.
Sindhu overpowered the Thai player from the back of the court and was even came out on top in most of the contests at the net. The second game was a bit more evenly contested, and both players were neck and neck in the early stages before Sindhu started getting away. It was 11-7 at the mid-game break, and it was a deficit the Thai girl never quite managed to make up. From 16-13, the No.3 seed managed just two points as Sindhu rushed through the home stretch and looked forward to the final
“I have played Zhang three times and also in the Premier Badminton League. She is a good player and there will be a lot of long rallies,” she said.
Sindhu has a 2-1 head-to-head record against Zhang, who will have more than five hours extra to rest and prepare for the final after her semifinal ended earlier in the evening. Earlier, fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China ended Iskandar Zulkarnain’s giant-killing run after beating the valiant Malaysian 18-21, 21-10, 21-19 in an hour and nine minutes.
He will face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, who defeated Chinese Qiao Bin 23-21, 21-16.
Good but not good enough
Pranaav Jerry Chopra and N. Sikki Reddy gave an excellent account of themselves, but eventually succumbed to the superior experience of Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen 21-16, 21-19 in the mixed doubles semifinal.
It speaks volumes about the stature that the Indian pair is acquiring on the circuit that they were disappointed at missing out on their first major final. There were spells when they matched the Danes shot for shot, but when it came to the pointy end in each game, Christiansen and Pedersen just had enough to get over the line. The score was level at 15-all in the first game and 13-all, 15-all, 17-all and 18-all in the second, but on each occasion, the Indians let their opponents off the hook, often by making errors.
“It all came down to two or three crucial points. We went for kills on them, when we should have kept it simple and ensured the shuttle stayed in court,” Sikki, 24, said after the defeat. The pair reached the Japan Open semi-finals last year, and aim to use the confidence to make the next big step upwards.
“Our opponents today were more experienced as individual players. We have been improving lately. Our performance in this tournament was good, but we are not satisfied,” Chopra, 25, said. The shuttlers will now be busy with the Badminton Asia Team Championship, and Chopra and Sikki will reunite as a pair at the German Open before the All England Championships. They received fulsome praise from their opponents as well.
“They are a very good combination, Sikki being left-handed and Pranaav a right-hander. He has a powerful smash while Sikki is good at the net. They fit each other really well,” Christinna said.
“All Indian doubles combinations are improving. They must be doing something right.”
It has not been long since the two Danes came together, but they will be competing in their third final on Sunday, after finishing runners-up in China and Hong Kong. The fifth seeds face Indonesians Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in the title clash.
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