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Top seed PV Sindhu beat Malaysia Masters champion Ratchanok Intanon 21-13, 21-15 in the semi-finals of the $350,000 Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta India Open 2018 at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi on Saturday. Meanwhile, fifth seed Beiwen Zhang held her nerves for a narrow 14-21, 21-12, 21-19 win over the sixth seeded Cheung Ngan Yi in the other semi-final.
As PV Sindhu sets her sights on defending her title at the India Open on Sunday, here is a brief analysis of her chances.
(1) PV Sindhu (WR #4) vs (5) Beiwen Zhang (WR #11)
Head-to-head: Sindhu leads 3-1
Last meeting: Zhang def Sindhu 15-21, 21-12, 21-18 in the 2017 Indonesia Open second round
If any match at the 2018 India Open can be termed as ‘perfect’ from PV Sindhu’s racquet, then it was the semi-final against the third seed and former world champion, Ratchanok Intanon. Sindhu ticked all the right boxes in that match. She was at her aggressive best and never hesitated to bring forth her array of crosscourt smashes.
There were also times when she simply took the pace off the shuttle to surprise the Thai and outfoxed her with a delicate drop. It was a major improvement from Sindhu’s quarter-final against the eighth seeded Beatriz Corrales where the World No. 4 conceded a game.
Beiwen Zhang is a different challenge altogether. Zhang has the ability to move exceptionally well on the court and her mastery over the net is what wins her many free points. She outclassed a fatigued Saina Nehwal simply by that strategy and never really allowed her to play her smashes.
Footwork is the key here as the court looks slow and the shuttle is not moving with as much speed as Sindhu would have liked. She did show impressive awareness and anticipation skills against the Thai in her semi-final and has to be ready for the China-born American right from the start.
Because if Sindhu does not do that, the tide might turn in Zhang’s favour like what happened in their most recent encounter at the Indonesia Open, where the World No. 11 emerged the winner in three games.
Interestingly, all four of their matches have gone the distance. So, another long match might be on the cards.
Here is all the information you need to know:
Tournament name: $350, 000 Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta India Open 2018
Category: BWF World Tour Super 500
Total prize money: $350,000
Venue: Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India
Round: Final
Date: Sunday, February 4, 2018
Time: 5-5.30pm IST
Channel Information: Live telecast on Star Sports Select 2 SD and HD
Live Streaming: BadmintonWorld.tv on Youtube
Live Updates: On Sportskeeda
