Sindhu makes short work of Japan’s Yamaguchi in Dubai
DUBAI: Already assured of a semifinal spot, Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu continued her rampaging run with a straightgame demolition of World No 2 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi at the $ one million Dubai Super Series Final here on Friday.
World No 3 Sindhu thrashed Yamaguchi 21-9, 21-13 in just 36 minutes to top group A in women’s singles at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium. This was her last group stage match. Sindhu will on Saturday face China’s Chen Yufei, who saw off Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon 21-18, 13-21, 21-18 in another Group B match.
However, Indian men’s singles star Kidambi Srikanth lost to Chinese Shi Yuqi 17-21, 21-19, 14-21 in an hour and 14 minutes. It was Srikanth’s third consecutive defeat which makes it an unforgettable maiden outing for him.
Before the match, Sindhu had a 4-2 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi, which included a win at the Hong Kong Super Series last month. Sindhu made a rousing start to the match, zooming to a 5-0 lead. Sindhu entered the opening break at 11-1 with a superb return and continued to rule the roost after the breather, reaching 15-4. Yamaguchi won points sporadically, exploiting the Indian’s backhand a couple of times, but she failed to curb her unforced errors. At 18-6, Sindhu committed a fault at the net but she followed that with a smash and gained 13 game points when her opponent went wide again.
Yamaguchi saved a couple of game points before Sindhu wrapped up the opening game with a delightful cross court drop.
The second game started on an equal footing with Sindhu and Yamaguchi splitting the initial four points after engaging in some fierce rallies. At 6-7, the duo engaged in a long rally before Yamaguchi sent it wide. A couple of unforced errors and Sindhu was leading 6-8.
The Japanese again narrowed it down to 8-9 before an accurate down-the-line smash and an error at the net by Yamaguchi helped Sindhu enter the lemon break with a three-point advantage.
The ordeal continued for Yamaguchi as she struggled to control the shuttle, allowing Sindhu to move to a 13-8 lead.
A deceptive return and another miscued stroke by Yamaguchi handed Sindhu seven match points and she sealed it with a quick reflex near the net.