Seoul witnessed something special on Sunday – two twenty-two year olds competing in their second consecutive final – battling it out on the badminton court – having picked up from where they last left off. Only this time, in a fair turnaround of things, the other player would eventually prevail.
PV Sindhu won her second Super Series title of the year and third overall after she beat Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 22-20, 11-21, 21-18 in yet another relentlessly fought energy-sapping final. The match lasted one hour and 24 minutes. With the win, Sindhu becomes the first Indian shuttler to lift the Korea Open.
Okuhara, the recent World Champion and current eighth seed, started the proceedings quick and confident. Sindhu had to constantly employ the crosscourt backhand whip to throw her opponent off balance. After saving two game points and winning four points in a row, Sindhu finally took the first game 22-20. Game two saw Okuhara in sublime form and winning by a healthy 10-point margin. But let’s leave it to Sindhu to bounce back. She got her game together and took early initiative in the third. As a bonus, her attacking play paid off. The defining moment of the match came when a 56-point rally (the longest of the match) went Sindhu’s way, and upraised her to 19-16. Three match points in hand, she soon converted the second to lift the trophy and title.
PV Sindhu’s fighting spirit, is beyond doubt, formidable. Less than a month back, she lost the World Championship Gold to Okuhara despite a 19-17 advantage in the third. But she managed to brush that aside and avenge that loss here in Seoul. Incidentally, Sindhu had lost the Olympic Gold to Carolina Marin in Rio de Janeiro last year. But she soon avenged that loss by beating Marin at the India Open early this year.
Sindhu, currently seeded fifth, is slated to return to her career best ranking of World No. 2 when the points are updated. The win at Seoul has also helped Sindhu level her head-to-head stats at 4-4 against Okuhara.
Now these ‘two’ true champions, the upcoming Japan Super Series Premier beckons. Okuhara will have the home crowd on her side but don’t discount the dynamo that is PV Sindhu!
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
