PV Sindhu ends BWF World Tour Finals campaign with a win
PV Sindhu beat the in-form Pornpawee Chochuwong while Kidambi Srikanth’s errors condemned him to a third loss at the BWF World Tour Finals.
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu had a positive end to her BWF World Tour Finals campaign as she beat Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-18, 21-15 in her final Group B game.
However, it was not enough for the world No. 7 Indian as she had earlier fallen to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and top-ranked Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.
Well, I think it was a good finish. Actually until yesterday I still had a chance. Unfortunately, the match with Tai went the other way, so I didn't have a chance. For any athlete, losing two games is going to be hard to come back stronger to, but I think it's very important from these wins to come back stronger and believe in yourself. I just played my game after yesterday's upset. - Pusarla V. Sindhu
After looking indecisive in the past two matches, PV Sindhu was visibly more aggressive against Pornpawee Chochuwong. She took the initiative and attacked the shuttle early to carry an 11-9 lead to the mid-game break.
It remained a largely even contest as both players pulled off some excellent forehands and drop shots to go toe-to-toe with each other. However, PV Sindhu retrieved the shuttles better and took the first game with a dipping forehand winner.
In the second game, the Rio 2016 silver-medallist continued where she left off in the first as she raced to a 7-0 lead which soon became 11-4 as PV Sindhu’s attacks proved too strong for Pornpawee Chochuwong.
PV Sindhu continued to dominate after the break as she moved well around the badminton court and her smashes carried more of the trademark power that fans had grown accustomed to.
The Indian also drew a lot of errors out of Pornpawee Chochuwong as she swiftly moved into a 19-11 lead and though PV Sindhu conceded a few points towards the end, she had built enough of a lead to finish the match in straight games.
"I have to admit that Sindhu had planned a perfect game against me," Pornpawee said. "She played a style that was opposite to my style. I did my best, but it was not good enough. She was so sharp in her game today."
Srikanth ends with a loss
Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, meanwhile, ended his campaign with a loss as he was beaten 21-12, 18-21, 19-21 by NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong in his final Group B match.
It was a third-consecutive three-game marathon for Srikanth in as many days. The Indian badminton player had earlier fallen to Anders Antonsen and Wang Tzu Wei.
Srikanth looked in his element in a comfortable first game as he brought his array of drop shots and deceptive net play to outsmart NG Ka Long Angus and take a one-game lead.
The Indian shuttler began the second game well but seemed too eager to finish off the match and in that process, committed a lot of errors, giving NG Ka Long Angus a way back into the encounter.
The deciding game was keenly contested by both. Neither NG Ka Long Angus nor Kidambi Srikanth looked decisive enough to dominate but the Hong Kong shuttler eventually prevailed.
For more updates, follow our live blog of Day 3 of the 2020 BWF World Tour Finals.
Lead photo: Badmintonphoto – Courtesy of BWF