New Delhi: Saina Nehwal had been the queen of Indian badminton for 10 long years ever since she won the 2006 Asian Satellite as a 16-year-old. The baton finally changed hands last season when PV Sindhu bagged the Olympic silver medal in Rio and became India’s No. 1 woman shuttler.
On Friday, at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, Sindhu once again proved why her career is in the upswing. Her quarter final against Saina at the Indian Open was projected as the contest of the meet and a good number of fans filled the stands to watch the battle.
Currently ranked fifth, Sindhu kept her cool against the former world No. 1 and won 21-16, 22-20 in 47 minutes. It was an intense fight between the two girls from Hyderabad and in the end, Sindhu was the deserving winner.
In the men’s section, India’s lone hope, Sameer Verma, went down to unseeded Ander Antonsen 22-24, 21-19 of Denmark.
For both Saina and Sindhu, there were more at stake than a place in the semi-finals. On record, Sindhu said: “A match against Saina is not something special. I give my 100 per cent against all opponents.” In reality, the scenario was different – the way Sindhu threw up her hands to celebrate the win conveyed a lot of things.
Even the former All-England champion and Sindhu’s coach, Pullela Gopichand, looked tensed while sitting in the stands. A seasoned man, Gopichand managed to keep his emotions under control after his ward clinched the issue. Sindhu’s father, a former volleyball player, was absolutely ecstatic.
Watching the match, one wondered whether Saina had fully regained her form after coming back from a knee surgery. After losing the first game in 19 minutes, Saina fought back and it seemed she would be able to script a comeback. But she faltered at crucial moments to give away the match.
Saina dominated in the second game initially and led 19-16 at one point of time. But a determined Sindhu won six of the last seven points to have the last laugh.
Sindhu will now play world No. 4 Sung Ji Hyun of Korea, who defeated defending champion Ratchanok Intanon 21-16, 22-10.
In another match, top seeded Carolina Marin of Spain beat Minatsi Mitani of Japan 21-10, 20-22, 21-14.
