Rio de Janeiro: India’s P.V. Sindhu
thumped Nozomi Okuhara of Japan to enter the final of the women’s singles
event of badminton competitions, assuring the country at least a silver medal
at the Olympic Games here on Thursday.
World No.10 Sindhu registered a
21-19, 21-10 triumph in the semi-finals over world No.6 Okuhara to become the
first Indian shuttler to enter the final of the Olympics.
With this win, double World
Championship bronze medallist Sindhu improved her head-to-head record against
reigning All England Open champion Okuhara to 2-3.
In the final, she will face two-time
reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain, who beat defending champion Li
Xuerui of China
21-14, 21-16.
Sindhu warned the top seed that her
best is yet to come, playing a mental game before the final. “Of course, I am
yet to give my best. That’s in the next game. I will definitely make the wish
of our country people for gold come true. I will play my heart out,” Sindhu
told reporters.
Irrespective of the colour of the
medal in the final on Friday, it will be India’s second medal in the Rio Games
after wrestler Sakshi Malik bagged a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg category.
“My target now of course is to win
the gold. Definitely I hope I will give my best performance tomorrow (Friday)
and for me to be here for the first time in Olympics and reach the final is a
great feeling,” Sindhu said.
For
Sindhu, who was on a giant-killing spree after dismissing two higher-ranked
opponents — Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying and World No. 2 Wang Yihan of China
in the pre-quarter-final and the quarter-final respectively — Thursday’s win
was also an extension of her good form.
Sindhu’s height and long reach gave
her a lot of advantage against the pint-sized Okuhara, who also had her right
thigh strapped.
Especially, Sindhu’s sharp
cross-court game and half smash helped her get off to a fine start.
In the first game between the two 21-year-olds,
Sindhu started the match on a positive note, taking a 4-1 lead before the
Japanese reduced it to 3-4. But Sindhu took two straight points to hold a 5-3
lead before Okuhara got a point to sit at 4-5. But Sindhu upped the ante and
took a 8-4 lead before Okuhara bagged two points as Sindhu hit wide.
Sindhu reached the mid-game interval
with a 11-6 lead and after a two-minute break, Okuhara’s delectable drop shots
helped her bounce back. She was trailing 10-12 when Sindhu forced her to hit
the net and take a 14-10 advantage.
Later, Sindhu took a 15-12 lead that
became 17-14 but Okuhara’s net game helped her almost reduce the deficit. She
kept coming back at Sindhu, forcing the Indian to make some unforced errors —
hitting wide.
But Sindhu remained always in the
lead, albeit a slender one-point advantage, before winning the game 21-19.
In the second game, Sindhu again began
convincingly taking a 3-0 lead before Okuhara took five straight points to
sit at a 5-3 lead.
Afterwards it was a neck-and-neck
contest. Sindhu rattled Okuhara with two straight points as the Japanese hit
wide and failed to return a fierce smash from the Indian.
Okuhara again held the lead at 7-5
and at the mid-game interval Sindhu led 11-10.
After the break, Sindhu turned more
aggressive and played a fearless game to stun the Japanese who looked short of
ideas.
Sindhu
kept earning points, hitting one smash after another to enjoy a comfortable
ride. As many as 10 points on the trot catapulted her to the final with a 21-10
win in the second game.
Afterwards, what followed was a
screaming celebration from Sindhu and her camp.
“I gave my everything in today’s
match, but my opponent was not easy. She came back after losing the first game
to me and till ten points we were equal. It could have been anyone’s game,”
Sindhu said.
“But I didn’t take it easy and kept
on going. Every
point for me was important the game had long rallies and some of my smashes
were going to the net, but my coach told me to keep on going. I am very happy
the way it went and it was a good day for me.”
