CHENNAI: Things haven’t been easy for ace shuttler PV Sindhu this year and it wasn’t easy in Madrid on Saturday. Taking part in the ongoing Madrid Spain Masters 2023 — a Super 300 event on the BWF World tour, Sindhu had done well to put aside her recent miseries aside (a loss of form that saw her fall outside the top-10 ranking in the world ranking) and reach the semis.
The double Olympic medallist was thoroughly tested against Yeo Jia Min of Singapore in the last four stages. But she did just about enough to hold her nerves and post a 24-22, 22-20 win. This was her fourth victory in the event.
This is a massive development for the Hyderabad shuttler, who is the No 2 seed in the event, given her recent run on the world tour. Before this event, Sindhu — one of the most consistent players on tour over the years — had suffered three first-round exits and a second-round loss in four events on tour.
With the Olympic qualification period commencing on May 1, this could be a timely boost as the World No 11 looks to regain her form. Sindhu is the lone Indian survivor in the event. Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap were the other Indian shuttlers who were part of the women’s singles draw.
In the men’s singles, Kidambi Srikanth had reached the quarterfinals before crashing out.