Lucknow: There is no match between two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and compatriot Ira Sharma as far as world rankings are concerned. While former world champion Sindhu is placed 18th in the world, Sharma is at 147th position, and the result of their face-off is anybody’s guess.
The outcome of their pre-quarterfinal clash on Thursday at the ongoing Syed Modi International here was on the expected lines, but it was Sharma, who won the hearts of the huge crowd at the Uttar Pradesh Badminton Academy with her scintillating performance.
Sindhu, who overcame a resilient Anmol Kharb in her opening round on Wednesday, survived a scare against Sharma before winning the contest 21-10, 12-21, 21-15 in 49 minutes.
Not many gave a chance to Sharma after she lost in the first game with a margin of 11 points. But after a change of the ends, she was altogether a different player against unleashing an incredible 10-point streak to lead 11-1 at the break.
She maintained her momentum post-break and stunned Sindhu in the second game, forcing the contest into a decider. The third game turned out to be a thriller with the two Indian shuttlers trading points before Sharma entered the mid-game interval with a slender two-point lead at 11-9.
Facing the prospect of an upset, lanky Sindhu staged a fine comeback to level the scores at 15-15 before reeling off six consecutive points to book her place in the quarterfinals where she will face Chinese youngster Dai Wang.
“It was tough at one moment as I committed many unforced errors, but I didn’t lose my patience. From 15-all in decider I chose to focus on long rallies before killing the shuttle for points as it helped me win the match,” said Sindhu after the match.
Paris Olympics semi-finalist Lakshya Sen advanced to the quarter-finals after beating Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko with a convincing 21-14, 21-13 scoreline and will be up against fellow Indian Meiraba Luwang Maisnam.
India’s new badminton sensation Unnati Hooda, 17, unseeded in the competition, stunned the fourth seed Pornpicha Choeikeewong of Thailand to win 21-18, 22-20 in 46 minutes.
The youngest Indian badminton player to win a BWF Super 100 World Tour title by winning the Odisha Open in 2022, Hooda was off to strong starts in both games as she didn’t allow her rival to free her arms, leading by 11-6 in the first game before Choeikeewong, who came into the contest with a 2-0 head-to-head record, made it 18-18.
However, Hooda maintained her composure to win the final three points and take the opening game. The second game followed a similar pattern with Hooda leading 11-6 before Choeikeewong levelled the score at 12-12. The two shuttlers exchanged leads several times after the break but Hooda pocketed the contest on her first match-point opportunity.
Earlier, second seed Malvika Bansod was ousted after losing to young Shriyanshi Valishetty 21-12, 21-15 whereas former junior World No. 1 Tasnim Mir progressed after beating Anupama Upadhyaya 21-15, 13-21, 21-7.
