CHENNAI: Even if the argument is of a frivolous nature, there have been claims that P V Sindhu chokes during the biggest matches.
The final of the Olympics in 2016. The final of the year-ending Dubai Superseries in 2017. The final of World Championships in 2017.
The list is short but the critics have argued that she loses the biggest points and doesn’t do enough to turn the tide in important matches.
She did her best Harry Houdini impression to shush down those critics on Saturday with a thrilling takedown of Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the semifinals of the World Championships at Nanjing. She twice trailed the World No 2 — 1-5 in the first and 11-19 in the second — but dug deep to emerge victorious 21-16, 24-22 in 54 punishing minutes to set up a meeting with Carolina Marin in the final on Sunday.
Yamaguchi and Sindhu, who is aiming to become the first Indian to win gold at the Worlds, are well acquainted. Only last December they spent 94 minutes on court in the final of the said Dubai meet where Sindhu took the first before losing 15-21, 21-12, 21-19. Three months later, they were at it again in the All-England Open. It was a similar result. Sindhu won the first but the Japanese took it in three 19-21, 21-19, 21-18.
When the World No 2 and the World No 3 took to the court on Saturday, the latter promised to herself that she would do whatever it takes, including staying on the court as long as possible to get the job done. “I didn’t go with any set tactics in mind,” Sindhu said after the match. “I was just prepared for a very long match. You know how the Japanese play... at least whenever I have played them it’s always been long contests. So I was prepared to be on court for a very long time.”
She was also in no mood to give up. The 23-year-old could have opted to conserve her energy for the decider at 11-19 down but she homed in like a battering ram after spotting an opening.
The Commonwealth Games-silver medallist won 12 of the next 15 points to reach her second consecutive final (she lost to Nozomi Okuhara at Glasgow last year). Predictably, she sees a tough fight in a rematch of the final at Rio. “It will not be an easy match (laughs),” she said. “She can be a very aggressive player. Then again, both of us know each other well so it will be interesting.”
Sindhu at World Championships
2013: Defeated Wang Shixian 21–18, 21–17 in bronze match play-off to fetch India its first World C’ship medal in Guangzhou.
2014: After losing to Carolina Marin, took home bronze together with Minatsu Mitani.
2017: Settled for silver after an epic final against Nozomi Okuhara, when she went down 19–21, 22–20, 20–22 in 110 minutes.
2018: Assured of a medal on Friday, she is up against Marin for the elusive gold medal on Sunday.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com