PV Sindhu Stuns World No 2 Tai Tzu Ying to Storm into Semis of BWF World Championships 2019
The ace Indian shuttler came back from losing the first game in 15 minutes to clinch the second one 23-21 in thrilling fashion and then wrest advantage from her old nemesis to win 21-19 and make it two wins in a row against the same opponent.
Basel, August 23: P.V. Sindhu stunned World No. 2 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 12-21, 23-21, 21-19 to storm into the semi-finals of the BWF World Championships in a rip-roaring quarter-final clash on Friday. The ace Indian shuttler came back from losing the first game in 15 minutes to clinch the second one 23-21 in thrilling fashion and then wrest advantage from her old nemesis to win 21-19 and make it two wins in a row against the same opponent. PV Sindhu Advances into BWF World Championships 2019 Semi-Finals, Beats Tai Tzu-Ying in Three-Set Thriller.
Sindhu's bid for a third straight final at BWF World Championships is thus alive. Tai Tzu has a superior record against her, but Sindhu won in their last meeting in 2018. Tai Tzu, who last year claimed the nation's first-ever badminton gold at the Asian Games, opened up a 7-point lead and from then on peppered the Olympic silver medallist with back-to-back smashes.
A brilliant rally saw the Taiwanese maintain her dominance and win the first game 21-12 as Sindhu had no answer to her returns. The Indian started strongly in the second game, winning her first point with a strong smash. Tai Tzu fought back to take a 5-3 lead before Sindhu levelled the score at 8-8 and took a 11-9 advantage at the break.
The rallies were long and Sindhu even fell to the floor while attempting to return a sharp Tai Tzu shot. It was a see-saw battle after the breather as both Sindhu and Tai Tzu refused to budge. It was even at 21-21 before Sindhu showed composure and skill to win it 23-21 and stay afloat.
In the decider, Tai Tzu opened up a 5-2 lead before Sindhu fought back to go into the break trailing 9-11. It was exhilariting badminton from there on as Sindhu, in typical fashion, took the lead from 15-15 to win 21-19.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2019 07:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).