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World champion PV Sindhu will aim to return to the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open when she squares off against the 26th-ranked Yvonne Li in Bali on Thursday.
The third seed was subjected to a stern test in the first round of this Super 1000 tournament on Wednesday. World No. 22 Aya Ohori put herself halfway through to her first-ever win over Sindhu when she grabbed the opening game 21-17.
But, even though the southpaw kept fighting until the end, the Indian's experience and ability to lift her game under pressure shone through as she completed a 17-21, 21-17, 21-17 comeback win.
GREAT START 💪Reigning world champion @Pvsindhu1 moved into the pre quarters after an roaring victory over 🇯🇵's Aya Ohori 17-21, 21-17, 21-17 in the R32 at #IndonesiaOpen2021 💥📸: Badminton Photo#IndiaontheRise#Badminton https://t.co/ERpfqret7Y
Next up for the World No. 7 is Yvonne Li, who herself battled for 1 hour and 8 minutes to quell the challenge of the 28th-ranked Neslihan Yigit. With that result, she exacted revenge for her quarterfinal loss to the Turk at the European Championships earlier in the year.
Other than that quarterfinal run, the German, who won the Czech Open in 2018, hasn't made much of an impact this year. She, however, created a stir last year when she finished as runner-up at the SaarLorLux Open and reached the semifinals of the Denmark Open.
The 23-year-old does have talent, but standing toe to toe against a player of Sindhu's caliber is a different challenge altogether. Li could also feel the effects of her first-round marathon when she takes the court against the two-time Olympic medalist on Thursday.
The Indian is coming to this match on the back of semifinal appearances at the French Open and the Indonesia Masters. Li could test her but ultimately Sindhu will have enough firepower to douse the German's challenge.
Indonesia Open 2021: Match details
Fixture: (3) PV Sindhu vs Yvonne Li
Head-to-head: PV Sindhu and Yvonne Li have never squared off on the BWF World Tour before, so their head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Date: 25 November 2021
Time: Approx 2:00 pm local time, 11:30 am IST
Tournament: SimInvest Indonesia Open 2021
Round: Second Round
Venue: Bali, Indonesia
Category: BWF World Tour Super 1000
Prize money: $850,000
Indonesia Open 2021: TV schedule
The Indonesia Open 2021 is being live telecast on the Star Sports 3 & Star Sports 2 HD TV channels.
Indonesia Open 2021: Live streaming details
The Indonesia Open 2021 can be live-streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app.
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Aya Ohori 🇯🇵 takes on Pursala V. Sindhu 🇮🇳 in an intense match in Bali.#BWFWorldTour #IndonesiaOpen2021 https://t.co/ugrDRDyvzA
