Erratic Sindhu ousted from All England by Okuhara
BIRMINGHAM:WORLD champion PV Sindhu was on Friday ousted from the All England Championship after being outplayed by a determined Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, who rallied her way to a thrilling three-game win in the quarterfinal of the women’s singles here. The 24-year-old Indian squandered a sparkling start as Okuhara produced a rearguard action to outwit Sindhu 12-21, 21-15, 21-13 in a 68-minute last eight encounter at the Arena Birmimgham.
Sindhu’s defeat ended India’s campaign at the Super 1000 tournament. She had come into the match with a 9-7 head-to-head against Okuhara, having demolished the Japanese in the finals of the 2019 World Championships.
The Indian started the match with the same intensity, quickly moving to a 3-0 lead and then swelling the advantage to 7-2 with a precise shot at the backline. The Japanese narrowed the gap to 5-8 before Sindhu unleashed a shot at the back and then grabbed another point when Okuhara found the net.
Sindhu entered the break with a five-point cushion. The Indian continued to dominate the proceedings after the breather, putting her opponent under pressure to gather points at will to take 18-9 lead. With Okuhara’s weak returns going to the nets, Sindhu sealed the opening game.
After the change of sides, Okuahara showed more intent, employing a low service and tried to put Sindhu on the back foot. It worked as she took an early lead. The Japanese engaged Sindhu in fierce rallies and forced her to make errors to lead 7-3. A couple of unforced errors from Okuhara helped Sindhu to narrow the gap but didn’t let the momentum slip as she took the second game.
In the decider, Okuhara continued to dictate the pace of the rallies, leading 5-2 early on. The Japanese didn’t allow Sindhu to attack, reducing the Indian to play the retrieving game. The lightening quick Okuhara left an error-prone Sindhu frustrated to win the match.