NEW DELHI: Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought her way into the women's singles quarterfinals at the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament. Facing world No. 7 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia, Sindhu made an incredible comeback after dropping the first game, ultimately securing victory in a 71-minute second-round match.
Sindhu, a former world champion, entered the match with a head-to-head record of 8-2 in her favour against Tunjung. However, the Indonesian had the upper hand in their recent encounters, defeating Sindhu twice this year, including at the Madrid Spain Masters final.
The Indian star has faced challenges with her form this season, returning from the Hangzhou Asian Games without a medal. Things looked bleak for Sindhu as she found herself trailing 6-12 and conceded the opening game to her Indonesian opponent.
Undeterred, Sindhu mounted a powerful comeback in the second game, surging to a commanding 13-4 lead. Although Tunjung staged a fierce rally, scoring eight consecutive points to level the game at 14-14, Sindhu capitalised on two flick serves, establishing a six-point advantage and taking the match to a decisive third game.
In the third game, the two players were evenly matched at 3-3. Sindhu, however, faced some early challenges, slipping behind to a 5-9 deficit. A series of forehand cross hits by Tunjung put pressure on Sindhu, leading to a series of errors on her part. Nevertheless, Sindhu managed to fight back, drawing level at 13-13 after her opponent made mistakes on the backline and at the net.
In a remarkable turnaround, Sindhu surged ahead, reaching an 18-13 lead, as Tunjung struggled with errors. A reverse drop shot gave Sindhu seven match points, and she clinched victory with a spectacular diving save, causing her opponent's shot to hit the net.
(With inputs from PTI)
