PV Sindhu credited her clean game devoid of too many unforced errors for a dominating win over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 event in Jakarta on Friday.
Sindhu defeated Okuhara 21-14, 21-7 to storm into in the women’s singles semi-finals.
Olympic silver medallist Sindhu, seeded fifth, was especially severe in the second game against the third seeded Japanese shuttler as she won the match in just 44 minutes.
“I was very much patient, I did not commit many unforced errors like in the quarters or the first round, I really appreciated that about my game today,” Sindhu told reporters after the win.
“Even though there was drift, I was focussed and prepared for everything. Sometimes the shuttle tends to go just outside and your shot has to be perfect at that point. There were a couple of shots here and there [that did not go my way] but I was always prepared for the next point, stayed positive.
“When you play against the top players, there’s not too much strategy... you just get on the court, and adapt accordingly. We have played each other a lot of times and we know each other’s game,” she added.
Sindhu also remarked that the drift and shuttle speed in the tournament have not been a problem for her.
“Shuttles were fine for me, I have nothing to complain about the drift or the shuttles. We have to be prepared for everything. It’s the same for the opponent also,” she said.
Sindhu, also a multiple-time World Championship medallist, pretty much dominated the proceedings from the start to finish. She took a little time to get into the groove and once she broke away from tied 6-6, there was no looking back for the Hyderabad shuttler. The early stages witnessed long rallies that have come to be a feature of their games.
“Every time we play it [tends to be] a long match, so we were prepared for that. And there were long rallies [even if the match was not long], really good ones too and it was really intense. I hope I recover soon and prepare for the semis against Chen Yufei,” she said.
The Indian will face the second seed from China in the last-four clash of the prestigious tournament. The Indian has a slender edge in the head-to-head against Chen, winning four out of their seven matches so far. The Chinese youngster won their most recent encounter at China Open in September last year.
“It’s been a while since I played her. Waiting for the semis, I hope to give my 100%. She’s an attacking player and she is in form, I just have to patient and go with the flow,” Sindhu said.
The fifth seed is looking to win her first title of 2019.
“I am hoping, definitely. I want to win this tournament. It will give me a lot of positivitiy and belief to go further. Taking it step by step for now,” the Rio Olympics silver medallist said.
