PV Sindhu beats He Bingjiao in Korea Super Series semi-final, sets up final against Nozomi Okuhara
September 16, 2017
PV Sindhu found the going difficult in the second and final game but brought her best play to over come a tough opponent in the form of He Bingjiao of China in the semi-final of Korea Super Series in Seoul on Saturday. With her semi-final win, Sindhu has set up a rematch of World Championships final as she faces Nozomi Okuhara in the final on Sunday.
Sindhu showed dominance and lapse in concentration in a match that lasted an hour and six minutes but managed a 21-10 17-21 21-16 win over Bingjiao who had a 5-3 head-to-head record against the Indian before this match.
The win in semi-final also gives a chance to Sindhu to claim her second Super Series title this year as she had earlier won the India Open in April. Overall, this is her fifth Super Series final.
In a display of sheer dominance, Sindhu played around Bingjiao in the first game by controlling the pace of the game and the rallies. Sindhu showed her improved movement on the court and also used her height to hit smashes and long shots.
She led 11-4 at the break and then maintained her lead throughout. Bingjiao was forced to commit errors as she netted often before losing the game 10-21.
Sindhu began the second game on the same note and took a 9-3 lead and was leading 11-6 at the break. But Bingjiao decided to focus more on drop shots in the final game and despite the powerplay from Sindhu, she levelled it up at 15-15.
Cross-court drop shots from Bingjiao proved too much for Sindhu and the Chinese took four straight points to lead 20-16 from 16-16. She closed out the game 21-17.
The third set was no different as Bingjiao attacked from the start and Sindhu faulted. A seemingly tired Sindhu, perhaps due to her longish quarter-final, was giving up points to Bingjiao’s drop shots. The Indians powerful shots help her take a 11-9 lead at the changeover.
Bingjiao now struggled as well and for the same reason. While she kept attacking Sindhu, the Indian played more on the line and made 14-14 in the final game. It was at this moment that Sindhu upped her level and took a 18-14 lead. Bingjiao tried hard to make a comeback but Sindhu’s power smashes to the body of Bingjiao were too much to handle.
Sindhu had four match points and she did not waste even one as Bingjiao netted a shot which gave the world number four player the win.
