PV Sindhu advanced to the second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Jakarta on Tuesday, defeating long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara in a grueling three-set match, while Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy exited the tournament after their first-round losses.
Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medallist, overcame Okuhara 22-20, 21-23, 21-15 in an intense battle lasting one hour and 19 minutes.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"It is important to get that first win because that definitely gives me confidence and also the boost to go to the next round. I have been losing in the first rounds of late so it was very much useful and important for me to winning matches like these," Sindhu said after her victory.
Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, displayed remarkable resilience but ultimately fell to world number two Shi Yu Qi of China 11-21, 22-20, 15-21 in a 65-minute contest.
The 23-year-old Sen, returning from a back injury, showed great determination when trailing 11-17 in the second game, mounting a comeback to win it 22-20 and force a decider.
HS Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, lost to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan 17-21, 18-21 in his opening match of the USD 1,450,000 tournament.
Both Sindhu and Okuhara, former world champions, have struggled recently, with Sindhu's best result this season being a quarterfinal finish at the India Open in January.
The first game saw Sindhu edge past Okuhara 22-20, saving a game point with decisive attacking shots at crucial moments.
In the second game, despite holding an early lead, Sindhu found herself trailing 7-11 at the mid-game interval before fighting back to earn two match points.
Quiz:
Who's that IPL player? "It is always good to play with her, obviously it is not easy but at the same time I would have finished it off in two sets but I should have been a little more cautious because I had two match points. At the same time, mid-court smash and when I got it high I just played safer," Sindhu reflected.
"Nerves are always there, I need to play safe or I need to get points but I think that was in my mind until the third game. My coach was saying it is okay just let go but I think until four points I was having that in my mind but then I was like you know I need to let go."
The deciding game saw Sindhu take an 11-9 lead at the break before securing victory with a series of winners, converting her fifth match point.
The victory improved Sindhu's head-to-head record against Okuhara to 11-9, avenging her 2017 World Championships defeat.
"If you see now the women's circuit it is more of like you know those long rallies, less of attack and defense have become very strong like at that point of time it was like we were attacking mostly and then you know it was all like a faster speed game," Sindhu observed about the evolution of the game.
"After the India Open, it has been a bit of a struggle. It has been a rough patch the last couple of games but I can see there is a bit of improvement like the last tournament. You need to keep trying patiently so that you get that rhythm. I am happy but I need to definitely improve a lot more and be injury free and of course focus on my skill."
Sindhu will face sixth seed Pornpawee Chochiwong of Thailand in the next round.
In other women's singles matches, Malvika Bansod retired while leading 21-16, 16-15 against Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani due to a knee injury.
Anupama Upadhyaya lost to Korea's Kim Ga Eun 15-21, 9-21, while Rakshitha Ramraj was defeated by Thailand's Supanida 21-14, 15-21, 12-21.
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