JAKARTA: When PV Sindhu played her opening match of this tournament against Vietnam’s Thi Trang, she almost lost. The unheralded Trang dragged the Indian out of her comfort zone. The World No 3 eventually stuttered past the finish line 21-10, 12-21, 23-21. Sindhu is still not herself — her dominant, all-court play is missing, and she is a bit subdued during rallies — but she once again found her right combination to reach a final, her tenth since January 1, 2017.
Against World No 2 Akane Yamaguchi, she almost lost a match that she had no right to lose, as the Japanese was a shadow of her usual self. In the process, the 22-year-old became the first Indian, man or woman, to advance to an individual badminton final in Asian Games. The 2016 Olympic silver-medallist lost herself for a period of time in the second stanza, but Yamaguchi’s looseness meant that she needn’t have worried an awful lot.
The latter hit more unforced errors than a beginner to lose 17-21, 21-15, 10-21. Sindhu, who has made a habit of losing the second game of her clashes in Jakarta (this was her third such pattern in four matches), attributed it to a bit of nervousness. “In the second game, I was feeling a little nervous,” she said after her match. “That’s why errors crept in.” Once Sindhu started shanking her returns or finding the net, Yamaguchi — very much a momentum player — zoomed ahead. She won nine of the final 14 points to take the match into a third. This was also the period when a few net cords went against Saina.
“At the beginning of the third game, she got a few, and I was wondering to myself, ‘What’s happening here?’” That’s when the Hyderabadi showcased her full-range of shot-making to take the match away in a five-minute burst. From 8-11, she pinned the Japanese to her back-hand before opening up a huge 10-point gap. And that was enough. Sindhu needs more of what she did during the third game, if she has to stand a chance against Tai Tzu-ying, current World No 1, in the final.
The Indian, who trails 3-9 in their head-to-head record, says it will be a tough match for both players. “It’s going to be an extremely tough match. I hope I do well. It’s good going in with a strategy. But mostly, I think I will just have to adapt myself according to the way the match goes.” While history favours the Chinese Taipei girl, Saina reckons that Sindhu has an equal chance. “I think there is a 50-50 chance. Sindhu has more shots than me because she is taller than me.”
swaroop@newindianexpress.com