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PV Sindhu begins her quest for a second Korea Open title against World No. 22 Pai Yu Po of Chinese Taipei on Wednesday, July 19. The Indian previously lifted the trophy at this Super 500 tournament in 2017.
Sindhu has struggled for form this year and finds herself at a lowly 17th spot in the latest BWF world rankings. In 12 events, the two-time Olympic medalist has made the final just once — at the Madrid Spain Masters in April. The Indian failed to make the most of that opportunity, going down meekly to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 8-21, 8-21 in the summit clash.
In her most recent tournaments on the North American swing, PV Sindhu reached the semifinals at the Canada Open and the quarter-finals at the US Open.
Desperate to turn the corner, the badminton queen has now teamed up with former All England Open champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim. Sindhu will hope that the Malaysian's valuable guidance helps her get back to winning ways ahead of the Asian Games in September.
PV Sindhu vs Pai Yu Po: Head-to-head and Prediction
PV Sindhu has a 4-1 lead over Pai Yu Po in their head-to-head. Their most recent encounter was at the 2022 Badminton Asia Championships, where the Indian ground out an 18-21, 27-25, 21-9 win.
Pai Yu Po is a 32-year-old Chinese Taipei shuttler with a highest world ranking of 20 that she achieved in 2018. She has a solitary BWF World Tour title that came at the Russian Open in 2019.
At the erstwhile BWF Grand Prix level, Po reached four finals, winning just one at the US Open in 2015. She has reached three quarter-finals this year at the Thailand Masters, Swiss Open, and Taipei Open.
Pai Yu Po will be playing for the first time since the Taipei Open in June. Sindhu, on the other hand, has already played a couple of events in the last two weeks. With the former world champion coming into this tournament with some momentum behind her, a slow start could be disastrous for the Chinese Taipei ace.
She needs to hit top gear right from the start, otherwise, the highly experienced Sindhu could run away with the match.
Korea Open 2023, PV Sindhu vs Pai Yu Po: Date and time
PV Sindhu will square off against Pai Yu Po in the women's singles first round at the Korea Open 2023 on Wednesday in the eighth match of the day on Court 4.
Date: July 19, 2023
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Time: Approx. 2.45 pm local time; 11.15 am IST
Venue: Jinnam Stadium, Yeosu, South Korea
Korea Open 2023, PV Sindhu vs Pai Yu Po: Where to watch & live streaming details
This Korea Open match won't be telecast live on any channel in India. It can, however, be live streamed on YouTube on BWF.TV. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
