Saarbrücken (Germany), Oct 31 PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen set up a double title bid at the USD 500,000 Hylo Open Super 500 badminton tournament after cruising into the women’s and men’s singles finals with straight-game victories here on Saturday.
Double Olympic medallist Sindhu, who finished runner-up at the French Open last week, continued her impressive run with a 21-13, 21-16 win over world No. 53 Anmol Kharb in a lopsided all-Indian semifinal to reach her second final in as many weeks.
“I’m playing her after a very long time and I think it’s good to see two Indians in the semi-finals. But I was just, you know, playing my game and giving my 100% irrespective of who the opponent is or what rank she is. And I’m happy that I’m through to the finals,” Sindhu said.
“Overall, I’m happy that I played well and I hope that I continue the same tempo tomorrow as well. And I think I’m glad that I was maintaining the lead and kept extending it and I finished it off in two sets. And I’m happy about that.”
The former world champion will face Denmark’s eighth seed Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt in the final.
Later, Lakshya, who has been going through a rough patch since reaching the All England final this year, notched up a stunning 21-17, 21-13 win over world No. 13 Toma Junior Popov in the men’s semifinal.
“I’ve had a few niggles here and there, and I was out for some time. At certain tournaments, I wasn’t really 100 per cent. But I’m happy with the way I’ve played here. It’s a really good confidence booster because I haven’t played this many matches in a row over the last couple of months,” Lakshya said.
“I’m really happy to reach another final. Since the All England Championships, I think this is the first time I’ve felt that I was playing really well again. I can feel myself getting back into rhythm and playing good badminton.”
The 25-year-old from Almora, a 2021 world championships bronze medallist, will take on the winner of the other semifinal between fourth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia and top seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark.
Lakshya vs Popov
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The opening game saw short rallies, with Popov initially asking all the questions, but Lakshya did well to keep the scores level at 4-4.
The Indian moved to 7-5, only to commit a net error. He soon extended his lead to 10-6, with the Frenchman making a few unforced errors. A smash gave Lakshya a five-point advantage at the break.
Popov found greater consistency in his strokes after the break and narrowed the deficit to 9-11 before sending a return long.
Lakshya’s defence stood tall against Popov. A lovely down-the-line smash from the Indian extended his lead, as he kept returning everything thrown at him to move to 16-11.
Popov found a second wind, constructing the rallies well to win three successive points and close the gap to 15-17.
The rallies featured net battles, flat exchanges and angled returns, with both players trying to keep each other guessing and unsettle their opponent.
Lakshya pushed one towards the back of the court to earn four game points. He sprayed one wide before sealing the game with another net winner.
Lakshya carried the momentum into the second game, opening up a 4-1 lead.
A cross-court smash and another steep return from Popov were followed by a careless shot from Lakshya as the scores were level at 4-4.
The Indian stepped up the attack with a barrage of smashes to move to 7-4. Popov fought back to 6-7 before Lakshya won a net battle.
With the Frenchman being sloppy, Lakshya took a four-point lead at the break.
The Indian kept Popov, the world No. 14, under pressure with a barrage of quality shots, dominating the rallies to open up a seven-point lead at 14-7.
Lakshya soon earned nine match points. He sealed the win with a precise smash after squandering two match points.
Sindhu vs Anmol
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In the first game, Anmol, 19, briefly moved 4-2 ahead. She produced a fine cross-court drop but lacked the wherewithal to put consistent pressure on her senior opponent.
Sindhu’s attacking game and precise net play meant she was never behind for long. She never looked fazed and moved to 10-7 before Anmol produced a cross-court return and a net shot, only to hit her next shot wide. At the break, Sindhu led 11-9.
Sindhu extended her lead to 15-10 in a jiffy. Soon, a net shot earned her seven game points, and she converted the first after Anmol hit her return long.
After the change of ends, it was neck-and-neck initially at 8-8 and 13-13. Anmol managed to take a 15-13 lead. But, as in the opening game, the scores were soon level at 15-15, courtesy of two errors from the junior shuttler.
A fine drop helped Sindhu take a 17-15 lead. Two more errors from Anmol handed Sindhu four match points, and she sealed the win with another precise return at the back.
(PTI News)
