'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgf/2gAIAQEAAAAAnZb/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAC//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG/9oACAEDEAAAAF//xAAiEAACAQMDBQEAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEFBhEABCITITJBYdP/2gAIAQEAAT8Atyg2yi02uq9La25FsMEh1sAwSjgztkeHsZ8sxoKTuRAYlW0zEfPz1//EABoRAQABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECABESQaH/2gAIAQIBAT8Am4EU2X61/8QAHREAAQIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgFRAAMFEUFSYf/aAAgBAwEBPwAqRJBSFltjUVbsf//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Having edged World No. 39 Julie Dawall Jakobsen 21-15, 21-18 in a tight opening match at the French Open Badminton, third seed PV Sindhu will now aim for a spot in the quarterfinals on Thursday. In her quest for a last-eight berth, she meets yet another Dane, the 24th-ranked Line Christophersen.
Having beaten Christophersen convincingly at the All England Open in March, Sindhu should ideally not face much hassle in getting through this hurdle.
The Indian hasn't been at her best since the BWF World Tour resumed post the Tokyo Olympics. The two-time Olympic medalist bowed out of the Denmark Open in the quarterfinal stage last week and will be eager to improve her performance in Paris ahead of the defense of her World Championships title in December.
That said, Sindhu can't afford to take her opponent lightly. Line Christophersen did post some solid results since her last meeting with the World No. 7.
She went on to reach the finals of the Orleans Masters, Spain Masters and the European Championships, losing in each. Christophersen finally managed to end up on the winning side in the Denmark Masters final in August.
At the Denmark Open last week, however, she failed to recapture that form and exited in the first round. She began her French Open Badminton campaign this week with a 21-18, 21-16 win over World No. 64 Jordan Hart.
Sindhu should be a step up in the challenge for her. Unless Christophersen can make Sindhu move all over the court and eke out errors from her racquet, it should be a cakewalk win for the Indian.
French Open Badminton 2021: Match details
Fixture: (3) PV Sindhu vs Line Christophersen
Head-to-head: PV Sindhu leads Line Christophersen 1-0, having beaten the Dane 21-8, 21-8 in their only meeting so far at the All England Open earlier this year
Date: 28 October 2021
Time: Approx 6:00 pm local time, 9:30 pm IST
Tournament: Yonex French Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris
Category: BWF World Tour Super 750
Prize money: $600,000
French Open Badminton 2021: TV schedule
The French Open Badminton 2021 will be live telecast on the Star Sports 3 TV channel from October 28 onwards in India.
French Open Badminton 2021: Live streaming details
The French Open Badminton 2021 can be live-streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app.
