Sindhu bows out in quarters
NEW DELHI, Jan 17: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was left disappointed after her gallant fight ended in a narrow loss to Paris bronze medallist Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the women’s singles quarterfinal at the India Open Super 750 here on Friday.Sindhu, a former champion, fought back strongly after a one-sided opening game loss but faltered in the decider, going down 9-21, 21-19, 17-21 in a gripping 62-minute contest.
Tunjung dominated early using her delectable drops to good use to race to an 11-4 lead at the break. With Sindhu struggling with her strokes, it was all over too soon.
The Indonesian grabbed a 6-2 lead after the change of sides, but Sindhu fought back, levelling at 9-9 with Tunjung erring repeatedly. A wide shot from Tunjung gave Sindhu a one-point advantage at the break.
A pumped-up Sindhu then regained her composure, clinching two game points before Tunjung hit into the net, allowing Sindhu to take the first game 21-19.
In the decider, Tunjung raced to a 10-8 lead, with both players exchanging intense rallies. Sindhu, however, erased the deficit quickly after the break and kept the pressure on her opponent. Tunjung moved to 17-14, but Sindhu responded, drawing parity with a drop and a net shot winner.
Tunjung, however, secured three match points and despite Sindhu’s best efforts, sealed the match with a cross-court winner.
In other matches on Friday, Kiran George, who made it to the main draw as a substitute player following withdrawals, went down to Weng Hong Yang of China 13-21, 19-21 in a 51-minute encounter in men’s singles quarterfinals.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lifted the spirits of the Indian camp with a dominant performance as they stormed into the semifinals of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Friday.Satwik and Chirag, the 2022 champions, pulverised the Korean pair of Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk with a barrage of attacking shots, winning 21-10, 21-17 in just 41 minutes.
The seventh seeded Indians will face Malaysian third seeds Sze Fei Goh and Nur Izzuddin in the semifinals.(Agencies)
