Shenzhen, China – India’s star shuttler and double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has sailed into the quarterfinals of the China Masters badminton tournament with a superb straight-game win over Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong.
Sindhu, ranked 14th in the world, took just 41 minutes to defeat the sixth-seeded Thai opponent 21-15, 21-15, improving her head-to-head record against Chochuwong to 6-5.
The Indian shuttler, who had exited early at the Hong Kong Open last week, expressed delight with the victory:
“I am happy with the win and it was very important for me from the beginning to be alert and give my 100 per cent. She is a top player. After winning the first game, I was much more alert in the second game. The points were going equal so it was very important for me to stay close to her as every point counts. I am happy that I am on the winning side and I gave my best.”
Sindhu emphasized that handling court drift—caused by air-conditioning—is crucial in such matches:
“It’s always there, every tournament there is wind, but it is important that you have control. Sometimes it’s very hard to control.”
Working under Indian women’s singles coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, Sindhu said the partnership is showing steady results:
“He is a very good coach. Initially, we knew it would take time. We coordinated and figured out what needed to be done. As a coach, he is giving his best efforts, and as an athlete, it’s my duty also.”
Sindhu will face the winner of the clash between top seed An Se Young (Korea) and Mia Blichfeldt (Denmark) in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, India’s men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded eighth, are set to face Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin later in the day in their round-of-16 encounter.
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