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When PV Sindhu met Aya Ohori in the first round of the Indonesia Open last week, nobody could envisage the kind of run she was going to have later in the week. Sindhu looked confused and tentative like how she had been for most of the season. The uncertainty in her thought process and her errors led to her dropping a game for the first time against the 20th ranked Japanese, having mastered her six times previously in straight games.
It was a worrying sign indeed and was perhaps a huge wake-up call. That performance and her second-round match against Mia Blichfeldt where she again went on to concede a game, stirred Sindhu and she was able to summon her best game against two heavyweight opponents like the-then World No. 2 Nozomi Okuhara and World No. 3 Chen Yufei.
Sindhu progressed into a final at a BWF tournament for the first time in seven months. Even though she could not cross the final hurdle and fell to the current World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi, it was a welcome sight to see the revived Sindhu. The confidence and belief that went missing for many months, were finally visible again.
It is heartening to see the Hyderabad shuttler determined to carry on that form and get some vital match wins under her belt before the prestigious World Championships next month where she is the defending runner-up.
Sindhu began her Japan Open campaign with the same spirit and attitude that she showed in ample amounts against Okuhara and Yufei. Oozing self-belief, the lanky ace notched up a 21-9, 21-17 win over World No. 12 Han Yue. Having found her feet once again, the World No. 5 would be in no mood to show any leniency against Ohori, having never lost to the Japanese in seven meetings.
Here is all you need to know about the Japan Open:
Tournament: Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open 2019
Category: Super 750
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Round: Second
Schedule: (5) PV Sindhu vs Aya Ohori at approx 9 am IST on Thursday, July 25, 2019
Where to watch the matches in India?
The Japan Open matches will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD from July 25.
Live Stream Details and Info for the matches:
Live Stream for the matches is available on hotstar.com.
