Rio de Janeiro, Aug 18: 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.
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But she faces her toughest opponent in the World no. 1 in the final contest.
Seven Indian badminton players arrived in Rio and Sindhu is the last one standing.
“It’s not like pressure but it is a big moment for me playing in the final, so it’s just I have to do my best and play my 100 percent game and that’s all I feel”, Sidhu said after the match. That was truly one of the best moments of her career.
While yet to make a game plan for the final, Gopichand was a little emotional after the victory. She comes from a family of volleyball players, but she chose badminton over volleyball and has been playing ever since she was eight years old. I was down in that game, but then I came back.
“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. After that the score was going equal and it was not easy to get a point for either of us”, she added. “I would give my heart out for that and play my best”.
Okohura had beaten her in their last three encounters but on this day, the Japanese was the punching bag, resisting as well as she could to an incessant storm.
“If there was a turning point it was that I was really patient”.
“I think Sindhu played really well and it was a very spirited performance”.
Although all the men at Rio Olympics failed to secure a medal, all the competitors in Women’s Category are making it to the medal and making India proud again.
Sindhu began to make waves on the worldwide circuit some seven years ago.
Sindhu once again opened up a 3-0 lead, but the Japanese soon clawed back and grabbed a slender 5-3 lead with the Indian finding it hard to keep the shuttle inside the court. The second seemed to be heading that way too but Sindhu did what champions do, and found another gear. She may or may not have anticipated this but there were occasions when she quietly sat in the stands to watch Sindhu play.
“She’s performed well in big events, when she’s had time to prepare well”. Although, the smart Chinese would manage to retrieve it, she was forced to put in an extra effort, and at time led to unforced error. She’s prepared for years. “The greatest asset is a strong mind”, she had posted on Facebook April-end. “In my book she can do a notch higher, but what she did was fantastic”.
Gopichand, who had coached Saina Nehwal to a Bronze medal at the London Games in 2012. She was running away with the set and led her rival 18-13 with some incredible cross-court smashes. That in turn implied that Sindhu had to warm up three times on account of the delay. Both players made use of height and their long reach and showed great skills. 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.
After Sindhu surged ahead (18-13), the second seed reeled off six points in a row to make it 19-18.
Sindhu was more pumped up after the break and that left Okuhara bewildred. In her semifinal against Nozomi Okohura, Sindhu barraged them out with what appeared to be increased intensity.
Leading 14-10, Sindhu hit wide and long before coming up with a superb drop even as Okuhara forehand returns. But on the very next point, Okuhara misjudged a shot to her baseline as the Indian went into the mid-game break with 11-10 lead. The Japanese was under the pump right from the beginning and lost in straight sets to PV Sindhu who marched into the finals 21-19, 21-10. Sindhu 2-1 in lead. “Sindhu held her nerve and that allowed her to close it out”, said Gopichand after the match.
But Yihan started to gather momentum and entered the mid-game interval with a slender 11-8 lead.
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She won the 2013 World Championship bronze by defeating Bae Yeon of Korea and Minatsu Mitani of Japan in 2014.
