Home favourite Yamaguchi up next for Sindhu

PV Sindhu knew of Mia Blichfeldt’s ability to snatch victory from losing positions. She had found that out the hard way in March. And she was determined there wouldn’t be a second time. The world No. 12 from Denmark did reel off four points in the first game after Sindhu opened a 13-7 lead, but she wasn’t allowed to take control. At the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, Sindhu won 21-15, 21-13 to set up a quarter-final with world No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.

Blichfeldt, 23, came from behind to beat Sindhu in a three-setter at the Thailand Open in Sindhu’s first international event after the shutdown in competitions in 2020 due to Covid-19. “I was almost at match point and leading, but she came back and won the match!” Sindhu said on Thursday. The Indian prevented an encore at the Swiss Open semi-final in March, but only just. On that occasion, Blichfeldt erased a five-point deficit at 12-17 before Sindhu scrapped to a 22-20, 21-10 win.

In Tokyo, Sindhu, the reigning world champion, was in control from the start. Seeing the first game slip away, Blichfeldt went for broke, and for a while it worked. A flurry of smashes, her court-craft nimble and confident, the Dane inched closer.

But Sindhu was ready. After beating Hong Kong’s N Y Cheung in the last group match on Wednesday, Sindhu spoke about the importance of controlling one’s thoughts when the opponent is on a roll. “You have to take your time, breathe, gather your thoughts and not rush,” she said. A day later, she walked the talk. The next couple of points were fought hard. Blichfeldt had made it 15-16, but Sindhu managed to cut down her errors. She raced to take the next five points, setting up game point with a body smash, before wrapping up the game.

“You do get tense when you lose points but my coach (Park Tae-sang) was telling me to focus on the next point,” said

Sindhu. “The first game was very important. Even though you are leading, she is not going to give up easily. I gave up a couple of points while I was rushing in my defence. But I was not that nervous; I kept myself calm and focused.”

Every time Sindhu won a point, the screams and fist pumps that former coach Pulella Gopichand woven into her game before Rio 2016—all in a bid to get the demure girl more aggressive on court—were on display. Blichfeldt tried to fight back the second game, but couldn’t. By now, Sindhu had shifted gears. Cross-court drives, smashes, drops— they were all executed to perfection. Blichfeldt’s errors mounted, and frustration showed on her face. The contest lasted 41 minutes.

Up next is Yamaguchi, who beat Korean Gaeun Kim 21-17, 21-18. Sindhu knows it will be a challenge, but said it wouldn’t be easy for her opponent too. “It is very important for me to go back and recover well and come back stronger.”

The Indian is feeling confident and has improved with every match at Tokyo. “In the first-round match there were not many rallies, then the next match there were some. You need to know what to play in which situation. Today I was able to,” said the Rio silver meddallist.

AFP PV Sindhu.