Dubai World Superseries Finals 2017: Why PV Sindhu was shown a yellow card during her semifinal win against Chen Yufei

Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu swept past Chen Yufei of China in the semi-final of the Dubai World Super Series Finals, in Dubai, on Sunday, to set up her summit clash with Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.

Sindhu produced yet another dominant display, as she ran over her Chinese opponents in straight games, with a scoreline of 21-15, 21-18. The Hyderabad-born shuttler moved Yufei all over the court, and used her long reach to good effect during the match, to breeze her way into the finals of the year-ending tournament.

This aspect of Sindhu’s play seemed to have daunted Chen Yufei to some extent, as she constantly misplaced her shots while trying to figure out how to return the shuttle out of the Indian’s reach. However, in a great show of fitness and stamina, Sindhu recovered almost everything that Chen Yufei hurled at her. She even made the right calls while taking her reviews (in the first game).

As the match wore on, however, Sindhu started to show signs of fatigue in the second game. Her brilliant court coverage came at a great price, as she was soon seen taking long breaks in between points. It was during one of these breaks that she was shown the yellow card by the chair umpire.

A yellow card is generally shown to a shuttler, who has breached certain Laws of Badminton. In general, a yellow card is shown to a player for misconduct. Actions like leaving the court without permission, throwing the racquet into the opponent’s court, or causing a delay can also entail a yellow card. It was the latter in Sindhu’s case, as she took long breathers between points, despite being called back to the court by the umpire.

Multiple offences can also lead to the umpire brandishing a red card, for which points will be docked. In extreme cases, a player or a team can also be shown a black card, which essentially disqualifies them from the match.