AUGUST 24, 2019
PV Sindhu has kept her bid to win an elusive gold medal at the World Championships alive when she outclassed World No. 3 Chen Yufei of China in straight games in the semi-final of the ongoing edition in Basel, Switzerland on Saturday.
PV Sindhu is already the joint-most successful women’s singles shuttler in the history of world championships. The World No. 5 assured herself of a 5th world meet medal when she stunned World No. 2 and familiar foe Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in Friday’s quarter-final.
Sindhu is now on level terms with former Olympic and world champion Zhang Ning with 5 medals apiece. Sindhu won silver medals in 2017 and 2018 to go with the bronze medals that she won before her Rio Olympics success.
Sindhu was blown away by Tai Tzu Ying in the opening game of her quarter-final match on Friday and she had to work doubly hard to complete a comeback-from-behind win.
Sindhu maintains clean slate against Chinese shuttlers in World Championships.
However, Sindhu was in top gear on Saturday in the semi-final against Chen Yufei against whom she enjoys a positive head-to-head record (6-3). Sindhu avenged her defeat to the young Chinese shuttler from Indonesia Open earlier this year by demolishing her 21-6, 21-12 in just 40 minutes.
With the win, Sindhu also maintained her clean sheet against Chinese shuttlers at the World Championships — 6 wins in as many meetings with shuttlers from the powerhouses of world badminton.
Chen Yufei, uncharacteristically lacked pace in the first game and paid for it as PV Sindhu looked sharp and focussed from the word go. She needed only 15 minutes to take the first game wherein Sindhu had the time and clarity to come up with a wide range of strokes that had an impact on Chen Yufei’s body language.
Notably, Chen Yufei did not even manage to win two successive points in the first game that was completely dominated by Sindhu.
Chen Yufei’s coaching unit had an intense discussion with the Chinese shuttler at the break and it did have an impact as she was looking a bit more proactive. However, Sindhu found her rhythm quickly to once again toy around with Yufei and take the match in straight games.
Notably, Sindhu had reached her maiden World Championships final in 2017 after beating Chen Yufei in a similarly one-sided semi-final in Glasgow.
Sindhu will be bidding to win the elusive gold when she takes on the winner of the second women’s singles semi-final between former champions Ratchanok Intanon and Nozomi Okuhara in Sunday’s final in Basel.
PV Sindhu has kept her bid to win an elusive gold medal at the World Championships alive when she outclassed World No. 3 Chen Yufei of China in straight games in the semi-final of the ongoing edition in Basel, Switzerland on Saturday.
PV Sindhu is already the joint-most successful women’s singles shuttler in the history of world championships. The World No. 5 assured herself of a 5th world meet medal when she stunned World No. 2 and familiar foe Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in Friday’s quarter-final.
Sindhu is now on level terms with former Olympic and world champion Zhang Ning with 5 medals apiece. Sindhu won silver medals in 2017 and 2018 to go with the bronze medals that she won before her Rio Olympics success.
Courtesy/Source: India Today
