Former world champion PV Sindhu displayed her mettle in a hard-fought match during the China Open Super 1000 tournament as she beat Olympic medalist Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan on Wednesday. The Indian star won in style 21-15, 8-21, 21-17 to advance to the Round of 16 after a 62-minute war of attrition.
Sindhu began the game on a confident note, stampeding to a 13-5 lead with a stretch of seven straight points and then closing out the first game convincingly. The game changed in the second, though, as world No. 6, 18-year-old Miyazaki turned it around with a sweeping sequence of nine consecutive points to take control at 12-8 and force a decisive third game.
World No. 15 Sindhu rebounded in the third game, maintaining a strong grip on the match to close out strongly and secure a hard-fought victory. It was also redemption for her earlier loss to Miyazaki in the Swiss Open last year.
Rebounding from a Series of Early Withdrawals
Sindhu’s victory comes as a welcome relief after a disappointing campaign, with her going out early in numerous rounds. Last week alone, she exited the Japan Open Super 750 in the first round, losing to Korea’s Sim Yu Jin in straight games. That was her fifth first-round defeat of the year.
Her erratic form has led her to early exits from big events such as the All England Open, Asian Championships, Indonesia Masters, Singapore Open, and Malaysia Masters. The China victory may prove to be a game-changer as she looks for a better second half of the season.
Satwik-Chirag Cruise into Next Round with Commanding Win
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also dominated their match and moved into the next round. The Indian pair demolished Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura in just 31 minutes, easing their way into the next round with a 21-13, 21-9 victory.
The Former world No. 1 doubles pair put their sharp net play and accurate smashes together to overwhelm the match from the very beginning. Following a solid performance in the first game, they upped the pace in the second, never giving the Japanese pair a chance to get settled.
Having made a few semi-finals this year at the India Open, Malaysia Open, and Singapore Open, Satwik and Chirag will be looking to push further and perhaps shatter their last-four barrier here at this high-profile event.
