Jakarta, June 3
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought her way into the second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament while Lakshya Sen made an early exit after a hard-fought loss in the opening round on Tuesday.
Sindhu edged past her long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in a thrilling one-hour and 19-minute women’s singles match, winning 22-20, 21-23, 21-15.
Sindhu and Okuhara were locked in a hard-fought battle marked by unforced errors and multiple game and match points. In the opening game, the Indian shuttler displayed nerves of steel, saving a game point and firing timely attacking shots to edge it 22-20.
The second game saw Sindhu take a narrow early lead before trailing 7-11 at the interval. She rallied back strongly and earned two match points with a powerful cross-court smash. But repeated errors allowed Okuhara to draw level at 20-all and the Japanese shuttler eventually took the game 23-21.
In the deciding game, both players adopt a cautious approach, avoiding unnecessary risks. Sindhu led 11-9 at the break and then found her rhythm, stringing together a series of winners to race ahead 20-12. She earned eight match points and converted the fifth to seal the victory and advance to the round of 16.