Coach backs PV Sindhu to regain her wings after loss in quarters

Sindhu bows out of the India Open but gives a good account of herself, something that has added to the belief of coach Irwansyah; Satwik-Chirag storm into semis of India Open.
PV Sindhu in action against GM Tunjung at India Open on Friday
PV Sindhu in action against GM Tunjung at India Open on Friday(Photo | BAI)
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NEW DELHI: PV Sindhu was at sea in the early stages of her women's singles match on Friday. Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the shuttler on the rise in the last 12 months or so, was just the opposite and made the Indian dance to her tunes in front of a sizeable home crowd here at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall here.

It was not the prescription that Sindhu, looking to retrace her old winning habits, needed. It was a mountain too steep to climb for Sindhu and she eventually conceded the game 21-9. For someone looking to re-build her reputation, it was certainly a bad score-line. However, Sindhu flipped the script in the remainder of the match to suggest that she's here to fight or die in her bid to regain her reputation.

Sindhu threw the kitchen sink and matched her rival, four years younger to her, stroke-for-stroke and took the game to the decider. The third game was a see-saw battle but Tunjung always seemed to find answers in critical moments and take the sting out of Sindhu's momentum. Sindhu persisted but that didn't pay off on the day as she lost 21-9, 21-17, 21-19. It was certainly a performance that was encouraging for Sindhu and her coach, Irwansyah, who started guiding the Indian barely a week or so back.

"It was a good game but at the start, she was a little bit tense. She could not deploy the strategy that we had planned. Also, playing in front of the home crowd is not that easy because of the pressure but that's okay. I believe she was a little unlucky today (Friday). But she tried everything and maybe next time, the result will be in her favour," Irwansyah said.

Irwansyah, the former Indonesia men's team coach, was roped in by the Badminton Association of India recently and this event was first part of his initiation phase with Sindhu. Irwansyah has a massive challenge alongside Sindhu. And he's hopeful that the small changes that he plans to bring will bear fruit. "My goal is to take Sindhu and the others to a very high level. Like Sindhu, I do believe she can do it. But we have been training for only one week, less than one week actually. The changes I want in her game, she can do it. But it will take some time. I want her to play faster and become powerful," he said.

"I don't want to slow the pace of her game because she is an attacking player. But she has to be more aggressive, more powerful. Today, her tempo and power of the shots increased in the deciding game," he added.

Sitting courtside, Irwansyah could be spotted taking notes and pro-actively passing on ideas to Sindhu during the campaign. Sindhu's determination and drive has added to Irwansyah's belief. "I also watched her games from other competitions. So I know her weaknesses and the things that she needs to improve. I already have my notes, everything. So yeah, I hope this is going to work. But again, like I said, Sindhu has the hunger to try and learn. And she's very focussed and works hard during training."

Sindhu, who has had a decorated career, is 29 in a sport which tends to be more favourable towards youngsters. Given the support system in place and her hunger, Irwansyah believes age is just a number for someone like Sindhu. "Even though her age is 29, I do believe she will kick on with a better result next time. It also depends on the team. A team that can provide her good nutrition, suggest her good food habits and manage her sleep patterns. We have a good strength and conditioning coach, physiotherapist. So age doesn't matter.

Satwik & Chirag on song

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have made the habit of generally being the lone Indian survivors in major competitions in recent years and that theme continued as they thrilled the home crowd with a commanding victory in their men's doubles quarterfinal match.

The Indian duo overwhelmed their opponents, Jin Yong and Kang Min Hyuk of South Korea, with their attacking play to close out the contest (21-10, 21-17) in just 41 minutes.

The survivors would be hoping to carry forward the momentum and become winners in the remaining two days of the BWF Super 750 event.

Meanwhile, Kiran George's run in the men's singles category came to an end. China's Weng Hong Yang, World No 21, beat the Indian 21-13, 21-19.

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