PV Sindhu waltzed into the Olympic semifinals with a straight game victory against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-13, 22-20.
Despite facing stiff resistance in the second game, Sindhu saved two game points at 18-20, produced three breathtaking straight smashes to win the game as well as the match and become the first Indian shuttler to reach two Olympic semifinals.
Living up to her billing as the ‘big match player,’ Sindhu once again delivered on the big stage. She is just one victory away from securing her second medal.
Thrilled with the victory, Sindhu said it is not over yet. “I’m happy but it’s not over yet. For me it’s time to go back, relax and get ready for the next match. I’m happy but I need to prepare for the next match,” Sindhu told the BWF website.
Sindhu said she wasn’t nervous despite trailing in the second game. “There were some very long rallies. The second game was very important, I was leading and Akane came back – so I couldn’t relax. On my side there were a few errors. I wasn’t nervous even though she was at game point, my coach was saying: ‘It’s okay, keep the focus and you’ll get there’. He was constantly supporting me and that got me by and I’m happy I got back in two games,” the Olympic silver medallist said.
Sindhu was cruising ahead in the second game and she went into the break with a 11-6. But Yamaguchi made a terrific comeback and won 10 of the last 12 points to move ahead of Sindhu at 18-16. Two unforced errors allowed Sindhu to claw back but Yamaguchi went into the game point with the help of a drop and a smash. At this stage Sindhu kept her composure and won four straight point to close out Yamaguchi. The match turned on its head once Yamaguchi started engaging Sindhu in long rallies.
The duo were also involved in a 54-shot rally at 15-14. However, Sindhu, who looked much slimmer, fitter and agile was up to the challenge and did not allow her opponent to wear her down.
Earlier, in the first game, Sindhu dominated Yamaguchi. She went into the break with a 11-7 lead and widented the gap to 13-8 before clinching the game at 21-13.
In the semifinals, Sindhu will face Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Sindhu said she has to focus on the semifinals. “I take that as a compliment but I think I have really worked hard for this and it’s not over yet and I have to be focused and prepare for the next match. The next one is important,” the champion shuttler said.
Two Chinese girls _ Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao _ will play the other semifinal. In the quarterfinals, Yufei defeated An Se Young of South Korea while Bingjiao downed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
In badminton there will be a bronze medal match between the losing semifinalists.