All England Open 2018: 'I have been working on the mental side of the game', says PV Sindhu after storming into semis

Sindhu
Sindhu came back from a game down to win the match

PV Sindhu was all smiles after her win against reigning World Champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarter-final of the All England Open in Birmingham on Friday. In a match that lasted 1 hour and 24 minutes, the 23-year-old Indian carved out a 20-22, 21-18, 21-18 win over her old foe.

In the process, she made her way into the semi-final of the first Super 1000 tournament of the year. This was also the first time the Rio Olympic silver medallist had crossed the quarter-final stage of the All England Open.

Speaking after her victory, Sindhu said that while it felt great to have progressed to the semis, the tournament is not over just yet. "It feels really great but it's not yet over. I have to go back and recover myself because tomorrow is a big match as well. Whether it is (Akane) Yamaguchi or Carolina (Marin), it's not going to be easy," she said.

Sindhu has been previously criticised for not being able to win from tight situations. Most of her loses, especially in the summit clashes of the major tournaments, had come in heart-stopping encounters. It was the general consensus that she was bulking under pressure.

However, her two latest wins at the All England have both come in situations where she was trailing in the deciding game. In the pre-quarters, Sindhu was trailing 12-16 against Thailand's Nitchaon Jindapol before she managed to make a comeback. On Friday, as well, Okuhara was leading 16-12 in the decider at one point.

When asked what she has been telling herself to come out of such situations, Sindhu said, "There have been matches where I was leading and I have gone on to lose. Even in the first game, I was leading 20-19 and I just hit into the net. I was a bit nervous but I thought it is not over yet and I just fought back. Physically and mentally, as well, when you lose from such situations, it really hits you but it also motivates you to come back stronger."

"I have been working on the mental side of the game. My coach, also, has been telling me about it. At times, when you actually have to get points and you hit out, you tend to lose your confidence or get nervous. At those times, you have to tell yourself, 'Let it go, it's over'. I have been doing that and I think it's getting better," she added.

Pullela Gopichand, also, was a content man after the match and he hoped Sindhu will be able to carry on over the next two days of the tournament.

"It was a tough match. Both of them have been used to playing long matches and it's good that Sindhu ended up on the right side this time. Okuhara has been a fantastic fighter and it was great entertainment for the spectators. Overall, I'm happy to see Sindhu pull off a great win but they have had very similar matches all along. Hopefully, she will pull through for the next couple of days as well," he said.

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Edited by Sagnik Kundu