CHENNAI: Guts, glory and a potential story of redemption. PV Sindhu, after displaying signs of retracing her old spirit and skills on the court, is on the verge of making history. Just a few days ago, it was deemed beyond the realms of possibility by many. And rightly so. Sindhu, despite having won many wars over the course of her decorated career, had shown her mortality since 2024.
Going into the ongoing World Championships, an event she has had many engaging battles over the years, she was clearly lacking ideas inside the court. Four days into the event, Sindhu is now the main talking point for many as she did the unthinkable by outsmarting World No 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China in their women's singles Round of 16 encounter at the Adidas Arena in Paris. Sindhu matched Wang stroke-for-stroke and stood firm at the business end to complete a memorable victory.
After this feat, Sindhu, who boasts five medals at the Worlds, is now one step away from adding to her medals tally. World No 9 Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia stands between the Indian ace and a bronze medal (at the very least).
Sindhu had stunned her earlier-round opponents by stepping up in crunch situations and taking the game away from them. Both Kaloyana Nalbantova (Sindhu's Rd 1 opponent) and Karupathevan Letshanna (Rd 2) learnt that the hard way. But what unfolded on Thursday was mighty special. Wang, her opponent, has been a complete contrast to Sindhu and has been one of the shuttlers who has constantly challenged for podium finishes. Conscious of Wang's potential threat, Sindhu later said that she had entered the event with a singular mindset of fighting for every point.
"Well, for me, it was like any other player. The World Championships, from the first round, it's never easy. You have to fight for every point, every rally. Of course, Wang Zhi is a top athlete, she has had a good run. I was not keeping that in mind and it was a fresh match. I have played with her in the past and we have had 2-2 wins each. So I had to be consistent and keep the shuttle in the court because I knew that there will be long rallies and it will be a long match," Sindhu said during the post-match interaction.
Sindhu had her nose in front at the early stages but Zhang showed why she is regarded as one of the best in the business at the elite level. Zhang, who likes dictating the flow of the game, tested Sindhu throughout the game but Sindhu said she was ready for all forms of challenges during the tie.
"I was prepared for everything, prepared for long rallies and also she changes the speed, she was playing those long rallies and hitting those half-smashes. So I was ready for it. Coming back to the speed, it was important for me to be on my toes as she has those surprise shots, when she plays those cross-shots or gives those really deep half-smashes."
The Indian last reached the quarterfinal stage on BWF Tour at the India Open at the start of the year. Wins had been at a premium after that. The double Olympic medallist said she had been looking to fix her recent mistakes in the build-up to this event.
"I always focussed on the way I was training, focussing on the mistakes that I was making in the past. I was working on them. Coming into the tournament, I was thinking that just one match mattered. It's just one match at a time for me. Each match is very important, because you never know because there were matches where things have changed here and there. I never thought about two rounds ahead or one round ahead. I was just focussed on today's match and yesterday (Wednesday), I was just focussed on that particular match irrespective of the ranking that they had."
Her hard work and her constant hunger to find answers has been paying off so far. She might have taken down a big fish but the job is far from over. "It's not over yet. I need to come back much stronger tomorrow (Friday) and be ready for everything."
It's certainly not over yet. After a long period of hopelessness, Sindhu is now buzzing. She'll be hoping to get past the first hurdle of returning with a medal at the very least come Friday.
SatChi beat Oly medallists
Later, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured a spot in the men's doubles quarterfinals with a win over Paris Games silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. The Indian doubles specialists won 19-21, 21-15, 21-17.
Dhruv-Tanisha in quarters
It was also a notable day for India's mixed doubles pairing of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, who pulled off an upset win over Hong Kong's Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 in their Round of 16 meeting.
Meanwhile, it was a case of so close, yet so far for HS Prannoy. Prannoy brought his A-game to the fore but fell just short against World No 2 Anders Antonsen in their men's singles second-round tie late on Wednesday. Prannoy lost 8-21, 21-17, 21-23.
