File photo of PV Sindhu© AFP
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu overcame a sluggish start to defeat world number seven Han Yue of China in a thrilling contest, progressing to the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Thursday. Sindhu, a former world champion and currently ranked 18th, won 18-21 21-12 21-16 in a second-round match that lasted 63 minutes. This marks her first win over a top-10 player since defeating Han in the Malaysia Masters final in May.
With this victory, Sindhu, who is currently working with Anup Sridhar and Lee Hyun-il, extended her head-to-head record against Han to 7-1 in eight encounters.
A finalist in the 2015 edition, Sindhu, the lone surviving Indian in the fray, will next face either Indonesia's Paris Olympic bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung or Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt in only her third quarterfinals this year.
She had reached the last eight in French Open and Spain Madrid Masters, apart from the finals in Malaysia.
Sindhu, who returned medal-less from Paris for the first time in three Olympics, has an overwhelming 10-2 record against Tunjung but the two hasn't played each other this year so far.
The 24-year-old Han had previously defeated Sindhu at the Badminton Asia Championships in April, making this match particularly significant.
Sindhu and Han started with short rallies, splitting the initial eight points but Sindhu conceded five straight points to fall behind. She looked to extend the rallies to tire out her opponent, who had played a 79-minute opener on Wednesday.
This strategy seemed to work as the Indian managed to cut the deficit to 9-10 before Han delivered a precise on-the-line return.
Han led 14-10 after the break, with Sindhu faltering in her aggressive approach. Poor execution of shots saw her struggle at 13-17. A body return cramped Sindhu, allowing Han to grab six game points, but the Indian saved four before Han won the game with a cross-court shot.
Sindhu came out with positive intent, going up 3-0 after the change of sides. At 4-3, she unleashed a thunderous smash on the return of serve, signalling her determination.
With a bit more pace in the rallies, Sindhu established a five-point advantage at the break, capitalizing on Han's unforced errors.
The momentum shifted completely as Han struggled. Sindhu asserted her authority through a net kill to go up 15-7. She soon seized 10 game points and stretched the match to a decider.
In the third game, both rivals increased the intensity, with Sindhu appearing more proactive. She added power to her returns, leading 6-3 early on. However, fortunes turned again as Han curtailed her errors and produced precise returns to pull four points ahead at the interval with a six-point burst.
Rebounding, an energized Sindhu reeled off four straight points to equalize. The Indian looked pumped up, landing her returns with more sting, even as Han missed a couple of backhand returns that went wide. At 12-13, Han won a 45-shot rally with a wristy, deceptive return to stay in the match.
The two traded blows, exchanging leads frequently from 14-14 to 16-16. Sindhu then moved two points clear as Han went wide, quickly advancing to 19-16 with a backhand winner. She seized four match points with a high backhand block and sealed the victory when Han miscued a shot.