How Nozomi Okuhara Found a Way to Beat PV Sindhu in World C’ships

Sindhu and Okuhara were not two players on the court, but two gladiators, not willing to let go of even one point.

PV Sindhu and Nozomi Okuhara didn’t just play out an epic World Badminton Championships final, but maybe one of the greatest matches in the history of sport in Glasgow on Sunday.

They were not two players on the court, but two gladiators, not willing to let go of even one point.

One using her height to reach the shuttle at almost all angles and the other, moving swiftly around the court – producing magical shots.

The match that lasted 1 hour and 50 minutes, had some rallies that never seemed to end. No matter where the shuttle was directed, the player found a way to get there.

The most grueling rally of them all was the final one in the second game. Sindhu and Okuhara exchanged 73 shots before the Japanese failed to hit the shuttle over the net.

Okuhara fell to the ground, completely exhausted. Her coach walked on the court, before the Japanese helped herself up.

But, there was something about Okuhara. She was willing to give whatever it takes to clinch the gold medal.

The Fightback

Sindhu seemed to have carried on in the final, from where she left off in the semi-final against China’s Chen Yufei.

The Indian looked in complete control during a passage of play in the first game. She took a healthy five-point lead at 13-8. Okuhara seemed to have no way to negate Sindhu’s height.

But then, Okuhara had enough and she pounced on Sindhu’s serve straight away. She returned the shuttle towards Sindhu’s forehand, and then produced two more smashes to finish the rally.

Thereafter, the Japanese knew that if she is quick at her shots and gets her smashes in, she has a great chance of winning the match. But, it is almost impossible for a player to carry out a fast-paced aggressive game throughout the match.

It was simply amazing to see how Okuhara used her aggressive game at crucial points of the match.

And at times, a tired 22-year-old was just left to hope that her slower-paced game can also gain her some points.

Fitness

Sindhu was really struggling with her fitness in certain parts of the match. The Indian, at times, ignored the referee’s call to return to the court, and stayed in her corner to take an extra sip of water during breaks. That didn’t help the world number four as she was given a yellow card.

Okuhara, on the other, seemed to be ready for battle almost every time.

Yes, Sindhu played her final after around 17 hours, and Okuhara had about 24 hours to recover from her semi-final match.

But, the Indian qualified for the final with two relatively easy victories. Her quarter-final (Sun Yu) and semi-final matches lasted for 39 minutes and 48 minutes respectively.

Okuhara on the other hand played two grueling matches before the final. She defeated Carolina Marin in the quarter-finals, which lasted for 1 hour and 33 minutes and then she went past Saina Nehwal in 1 hour and 13 minutes.

Desire to Win

When the score at the end of the match reads 21-19, 20-22, 22-20, then the game cannot be just about skill or talent. It’s about who has the more desire to win as well.

Throughout the match, Okuhara never looked like she is down and out. She was always in Sindhu’s face, waiting for an opportunity to strike, waiting for Sindhu to make a mistake.

Her expression had just one line on her face, ‘I want to win this at any cost’.

Sindhu, on the other hand, who was going through her process brilliantly, didn’t have a very positive body language after conceding the five-point lead in the first game.

Still, Okuhara had to be consistent with her smashes and shots at innumerable angles.

Okuhara moved from cut to cut, strategically deploying her fast-paced game here and there and pulled off the match eventually.

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