Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has thwarted her nemesis and world number one Tai Tzu Ying to enter the last-four at the BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China.
Sindhu had lost seven straight ties to Tai Tzu Ying since defeating her en route her silver medal-winning campaign at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and appeared on course for an eighth loss in a row when she conceded the opening game of her second Group A rubber.
But the world number six rebounded in stunning fashion, turning her fortunes around against the Taiwanese top seed with a come-from-behind 14-21, 21-16, 21-18 win.
Having earlier started the Tour Finals with a victory over world number two Akane Yamaguchi, Sindhu is the first to progress into the last-four from what had appeared to be a dangerous group.
She faces American Beiwen Zhang in her final outing on Friday, 14 December.
Sindhu Cracks The Tai Code, At Last
2017 Tour Finals runner-up Sindhu had to have her grit on display in ample measure, requiring a turnaround from a first-game loss as well as a 6-11 deficit in the deciding third game.
A 16-minute opening game saw Tai Tzu Ying power through with her deceptive strokes and tactical acumen. She led 6-2 and 8-4 before taking an 11-7 advantage into the break, stretching that to 15-8 with a couple of unleashed cross-court returns. Sindhu grabbed the next three points, but the Chinese Taipei shuttler eventually ran away with the lead through a 21-14 scoreline.
In the second game, Sindhu was allowed a way back as Tai Tzu Ying made an error-laden start. She made the most, opening up a 10-4 lead and leading 11-6 at the breather.
Further errors allowed Sindhu to stay well ahead, and although her opponent saved two of the six game points the Indian held, Sindhu closed out to force a decider.
The final game ebbed Tai Tzu Ying’s way in the initial exchanges, with the top seed holding 3-0 and 8-5 leads. Sindhu regrouped to trail 11-12 just after the break, and wrested back the lead thanks to three unforced errors off the Taiwanese’s racquet to move to 16-13.
That lead was never relinquished, and although Tai Tzu Ying clawed two of her four match points back, Sindhu held on for the victory.
Sameer Stays Alive
Making it a twin success for India on Thursday, 13 December, Sameer Verma outclassed Tommy Sugiarto in just 40 minutes for his first win at Guangzhou.
World No 14 Sameer, who qualified for the tournament at the last moment after defending his title at the Syed Modi International last month, dished out a dominating performance to beat the 10th-ranked Indonesian 21-16, 21-7.
The 24-year-old Indian had lost his opener to world number one and world champion Kento Momota, but didn’t look back after leading 11-7 at the halfway mark of the opening game, moving to 2-1 in his career head-to-head against Sugiarto.
Things will go down to the wire in Group B, with Sameer needing to win his final encounter against Thai world number 17 Kantaphon Wangcharoen. Sugiarto, too, faces a must-win scenario against top seed Momota – although even a victory may not be enough for the Indonesian, whose win-loss count in terms of games stands at 2-3 compared to the Indian’s 2-2.
(With inputs from PTI)
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