NEW DELHI: Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought valiantly but faced disappointment in her quarterfinal clash at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Friday.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty however lifted the spirits of the Indian camp with a dominant performance, storming into the semis.
Satwik and Chirag, the 2022 champions, showcased their attacking prowess as they pulverised the Korean pair of Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk in just 41 minutes, winning 21-10, 21-17.
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The victory marked their third consecutive semis appearance on the tour, following their success at the China Masters and Malaysia Super 1000 last year.
In the women’s singles quarterfinal, Sindhu, a former champion, suffered a heartbreaking 9-21, 21-19, 17-21 loss to Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the Paris bronze medallist, in a gripping 62-minute encounter.
“It is sad that I lost in the third set after fighting so hard, but I think the game is such. I have to obviously come back stronger. At that point, I would say anybody would have lost that point,” Sindhu told reporters.
“There were long rallies. I need to be more consistent and keep the shuttle in the court. In the second and third sets, I was not leaving the drops or half-smashes or cut drops. But in the first game, I wasn’t comfortable and made easy mistakes.”
India’s lone hope in men’s singles, Kiran George, also faced defeat, losing 13-21, 19-21 to China’s Hong Yang Weng. Despite the loss, his maiden Super 750 quarterfinal finish will undoubtedly give him confidence as he looks ahead to upcoming tournaments.
Sindhu vs Tunjung
Tunjung took an early lead, dominating with her impressive drops and quickly reaching an 11-4 advantage at the break. Sindhu had trouble with her strokes, and the game rapidly slipped away from her.
In the second game, Tunjung gained a 6-2 lead after the change of sides, but Sindhu fought back, leveling the score at 9-9 as Tunjung made several errors. A wide shot from Tunjung gave Sindhu a one-point lead at the break.
Sindhu’s aggressive play, showcasing powerful smashes, helped her reach a 14-10 lead, but Tunjung battled back, tying the score at 14-14.
A determined Sindhu regained her focus, securing two game points before Tunjung hit the net, allowing Sindhu to take her first game 21-19.
In the deciding game, Tunjung raced to a 10-8 lead, with both players engaging in intense rallies. Sindhu quickly erased the deficit after the break and maintained pressure on her opponent.
Tunjung moved ahead to 17-14, but Sindhu responded, drawing level with a drop and a net-shot winner.
However, Tunjung secured three match points and, despite Sindhu’s valiant efforts, sealed the match with a cross-court winner.
Kiran vs Weng
Kiran faced off against an opponent he had previously beaten, but Weng came well-prepared and didn’t allow the Indian player to pose a significant threat. Weng took an early lead, moving from 7-6 to 11-6 at the break.
Kiran managed to close the gap to 13-15, but Weng quickly scored six straight points to secure the first game.
In the second game, Weng jumped to a 6-2 lead and extended it to 10-7, but Kiran fought back to even the score at 11-11. Two errors from Weng gave Kiran a 16-14 lead, which he extended with two powerful down-the-line smashes.
However, Weng capitalized on a weak net return from Kiran and hit a precise criss-cross shot to regain the lead at 19-18. The Chinese player earned two match points with a well-placed smash that landed right on the baseline. Kiran stayed in the game with a jump smash, but ultimately hit a final shot into the net, sealing his defeat as Weng clinched the match.
