New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was knocked out despite putting on a gallant fight in the women’s singles quarterfinal at the India Open Super 750. Sindhu suffered a narrow loss to Paris bronze medallist Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung as Indian shuttlers endured another dismal day at the office in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, India’s hope in men’s singles ended with Kiran George’s defeat in the quarterfinal. George, who made a last-minute entry in the main draw lost to China’s Weng Hong Yang.
There was some good news for Indian fans from the men’s doubles category as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stayed on course for their second consecutive India Open final with a comfortable win over Korea’s Yong Jin and Kang Min Hyuk.
Sindhu, a former winner at the India Open, made a strong comeback in the second game after a lopsided opening game but ran out of steam, going down 9-21, 21-19, 17-21 in a thrilling 62-minute quarterfinal.
“It is sad definitely that I lost in the third set after fighting so hard but I think the game is such. I have to obviously come back stronger but at that point I would say anybody would have got that point or lost that point,” Sindhu told reporters.
Sindhu fights hard but not hard enough
After a one-sided game that saw the Indonesian shuttler completely dominating the Indian star, Sindhu regained her composure and came out with an aggressive approach. Despite her opponent’s 6-2 lead after the change of sides, Sindhu fought back valiantly, levelling at 9-9. An unforced error from Tunjung gave Sindhu a one-point advantage at the break, which re-energised Sindhu.
The Indian star stunned the Indonesian shuttler with her attacking play, featuring powerful smashes and opened up a 14-10 lead before Tunjung fought back, tying the score at 14-14 in a see-saw game. Sindhu again bounced back brilliantly, clinching two game points before Tunjung made an error and allowed Sindhu to claim the second game 21-19.
In the high-octane decider, Tunjung opened up a 10-8 lead following intense rallies between the two players. Sindhu showed grit and determination to erase the deficit quickly after the break but it was not enough to stop Tunjung from taking a 17-14 lead. But Sindhu responded yet again and drew parity with a drop and a net shot winner.
Tunjung, however, showed her mettle in the dying stages by securing three match points and eventually sealed the match with a cross-court winner.
Meanwhile, Satwik and Chirag showed supreme form in their quarter-final clash against South Korea’s Yong Jin and Kang Min Hyuk and claimed the match 21-10, 21-17.
Indian men’s singles stars Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy were knocked out of the Round of 32 on Wednesday.
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