Badminton: PV Sindhu’s road to the bronze medal playoff at Tokyo 2020
The Indian ace went down to Tai Tzu-Ying in the semifinal but is still in the hunt for a medal
PV Sindhu didn't quite have the answers to Tai Tzu-Ying's tricky play in the semifinal, but the Indian still remains in the hunt for a bronze medal.
Sindhu, the reigning world champion, had won a silver medal at Rio 2016. She will take on China's He Bingjiao in the bronze medal playoff on Sunday.
The 26-year-old had said going into the Olympics that she had added a few skills to her repertoire. Her improved defence and focus had taken her to the final four in Tokyo. Here's Sindhu's journey at Tokyo 2020 so far:
Beat Ksenia Polikarpova in Group J
Sindhu began her Olympic campaign with a convincing 21-7,21-10 against Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova in the Group J match.
The Indian won 13 straight points in the first game to stamp her authority on the match.
Beat Ngan Yi Cheung in Group J
One of the pre-tournament title favourites, Sindhu sailed to the top of her group as she defeated Hong Kong’s Ngan Yi Cheung 21-9, 21-16.
Taking advantage of her height and reach, Sindhu dominated her opponent in the opening game.
“The second game was a bit faster, so I had to really control a lot, and then I came into a rhythm. The first couple of points after [reaching] 11 are very important to me and from there I took the lead and finished it off,” Sindhu said after the match.
Beat Mia Blichfeldt in Round of 16
The Indian made short work of Danish star Mia Blichfeldt, beating her 21-15, 21-13 in the first knockout round.
After the match, Sindhu admitted that her defence was a little shaky in the first half of the match, but she quickly made the required technical adjustments to sail into the quarterfinals.
Beat Akane Yamaguchi in Quarterfinals
Sindhu’s first big test was in the final eight, and she passed it with flying colours as she overcame No 4 seed Akane Yamaguchi 21-13, 22-30.
While the Indian shuttler had it easy in the opening game, the second game turned into a classic slugfest that badminton fans have come to expect of them. Sindhu and Yamaguchi have a way of teasing and testing each other with their endless patience and skillful defence, and it was on display in the second game.
The longest rally of the match went to 54 shots. Winning that point not only helped Yamaguchi level the game 15-15, it gave her renewed hope of victory. The Japanese edged away into lead in the second and even held game point at 20-18.
But Sindhu came out fighting, using her biggest weapon—the jump smash—to great effect to wrangle the game away from Yamaguchi. She won four points on the trot to seal the match and a place in the semifinal.
Lost to Tai Tzu-Ying in the semifinals
Even though Sindhu started the match prominsingly, nudging into a 5-2, and then a 11-8 lead, she couldn't quite keep pace with Tai's court savvygame.
The Indian, aiming for a second straight final at the Olympics, went down 18-21, 12-21 in the semifinal to the second seed from Chinese Taipei.
In the bronze medal play-off, she will take on He Bingjiao, who went down 16-21, 21-13, 12-21 to top seed Chen Yufei in the other semis.