PV Sindhu hadn’t beaten Carolina Marin since 2018, it had been six years and five defeats in that time as they stepped onto the court on Thursday at the Singapore Open. When Sindhu rather comfortably pocketed the opening game, there was a glimmer of hope. When Marin fought back comfortably in Game 2, there was a sense of familiarity. When Sindhu started the decider strongly, opening up an 8-3 lead, then 15-10… the finish line was in sight, but Marin had one last sprint left to catch up with her opponent. When Sindhu saved a match point to make it 20-20, it felt like anybody’s game.
But in the end, it wasn’t to be. Close but no cigar. The run now extends to six straight defeats but Singapore marked the closest-ever finish to a match between the two, never before had it gone past 21-17 in the decider.
“A good game overall… anybody’s game… I don’t have anything to say,” a snappy Sindhu would tell BWF later on, before adding a few pointers on where she lost it in the end. The change of ends in the third put Marin on the supposed good side of the court. Sindhu should have perhaps taken a bigger lead in the first half but let Marin close in. And then at 20-21, when the Indian went on all-out attack, Marin defended with everything she had while Sindhu had a moment of crucial misjudgment at the backline. As she paid for her indecision, she threw the racket up in the air in frustration.
So close yet so far!
Well played Sindhu 👏
📸: @badmintonphoto#SingaporeOpen2024#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/u2OWdaiCXI
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) May 30, 2024
Marin prevailed 21-13, 11-21, 20-22, and later revealed that she was not sure if she’d be able to play the match after feeling severe pain in the neck once she reached Singapore. It reflected in some of her tentative approach as Sindhu repeatedly troubled her early on by taking pace off the shuttle and drawing the Spaniard forward. But Marin, the fighter she is, found her angles going in the second game.
Eventually in the third, Sindhu was the architect of her own misery as she made two hugely costly service return errors from 15-11 up. Even though the contest went the distance and Sindhu can take heart from her gameplay overall, it’s a familiar woe for the former world champion that has crept up a few times in the recent past: the latest being on Sunday in the Malaysia Masters final when she squandered a 11-3 lead in Game 3.
Unlike their combustible meeting in Denmark though, things were largely subdued between the two with only late in the decider seeing some sparks fly. Both shuttlers played it down post-match and said there was nothing to be read into the intensity. But if they are both fit enough to make it to the second round at Indonesia Open next week, we have a quick rematch on the cards.
Prannoy falls short
It was almost the same story for HS Prannoy as he went down in a bruising slugfest against Kenta Nishimoto, the Japanese winning a 78-minute contest 21-13, 14-21, 21-15. The first two games were pockted with relative ease by each player – once again the side of play having an impact on proceedings. But unlike Sindhu, Prannoy was left playing catch up in the decider that eventually proved too much to handle.
Prannoy falls short in a sensational pre-quarters encounter despite making a comeback in second game.
Well played champ!
📸: @badmintonphoto #SingaporeOpen2024#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/N5V4bp8Dug
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) May 30, 2024
“A bit topsy turvy match but I had my chances,” Prannoy reflected. The turning point was when Nishimoto went from 5-6 down to 14-7. “I couldn’t be steady enough in that patch of the game. I have to work on that middle patch, where I’m losing a lot of points and it’s really getting tough to get back in these kind of games.”
In the endgame, there were long rallies galore (32, 47 and 52 shots) where both players traded blows. But Nishimoto got his breath back in time to close it out.
Big win for Treesa-Gayatri
Just when it looked like India’s contention at the Singapore Open was going to end on Thursday, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand pulled off a big upset out of the blue. The tournament has witnessed seeded players fall by the wayside in big numbers, but finally, India were on the right side of one as the youngsters defeated world No 2 Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee 21-9, 14-21, 21-15.
It’s been a tough few months for Gayatri-Treesa who – a year or so back – were clear favourites to reach Paris Olympics as India’s women’s doubles representation. The rise of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, coupled with their own inconsistencies, meant they missed out. Their recent form has been concerning, a 2-21, 11-21 defeat (albeit against one of the best Chinese pairs) at the Asian Championships arguably marking the lowest point.
Into the quarters in style 😎🔥
📸: @badmintonphoto#SingaporeOpen2024#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/Qospmp7mbd
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) May 30, 2024
Against Baek-Lee, the Indians got off to a sensational start to dominate the opening game with a great mix of attacking intent and defensive solidity. Treesa’s slow drops and Gayatri’s flicks at the net were working like a dream. The Koreans, as one’d expect, turned it around by relying on their rock-solid defence. But in the decider, Gayatri-Treesa found their rhythm again to actually comfortably close it out without too many hiccups.
“It was a great match. I didn’t expect to win against them,” Gayatri said, perhaps a bit too honest in her admission. It was perhaps because in their last two matches, the Indians hadn’t taken more than 11 points in a game. “But yeah, we were pretty good. I feel the attack, the defense, I think everything was amazing today.”
It’s been a while since they have managed to pull off such a significant win, it doesn’t make up for the disappointment of missing out on Paris but it is a reminder of the immense potential that they still possess.
