NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium was a roaring cauldron of emotion here on Thursday as the BWF World Championships delivered a rollercoaster of breathtaking badminton.
Going into the match, Sindhu carried an aura of invincibility against Chinese opponents at the World Championships, having never lost to them in eight prior meetings. The marquee matchup of the evening pitted India’s two-time Olympic medalist against China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi. But Thursday’s encounter proved to be a gruelling test of physical endurance, tactical astuteness, and sheer willpower as Sindhu struggled to find her familiar rhythm and court coverage in the opening game. But champions of Sindhu’s calibre are not easily dismissed. With her back against the wall, the Indian superstar raised her level in the second game. The decider was a classic battle of attrition, unfolding into a gripping spectacle where neither player was willing to concede an inch. A wide shot from the Indian forced Wang to lunge, sending the Chinese player crashing to the floor, clutching her left thigh in an apparent cramp. Wang, now clutching her right thigh, somehow summoned the strength to continue. A netted smash from Sindhu handed the Chinese star three match points. Wang, however, defended her physical struggles and the dramatic pauses. “I understand she (Sindhu) might have thought it at that moment, but I was really injured that time. It was such a tough match. She is a very strong opponent with a fast attack.
Wang capitalised on the tentative start, moving with lightning speed and dictating the pace to wrap up the first game 21-11. The turning point arrived at 15-all when she suddenly tapped into a higher gear, winning six consecutive points with a barrage of precise crosscourt smashes and aggressive net play to force a third game. Sindhu quickly established an 8-4 advantage. Even when a few unforced errors allowed Wang to level the score at 9-all, Sindhu seized the initiative once again to go up 13-10. Following a tense medical timeout, Wang returned to the action as the score reached 17-all. Moments later, Wang let out a scream of victory before collapsing onto the court, sealing the decider 21-17. At 17-all, every point matters, and I should have been a little more patient.
Asked about Wang’s medical timeouts and whether they disrupted her rhythm, the former world champion said: “Maybe that is her way of game style or her strategy, but for me, it is just that I need to focus and play every point. The last three points just changed the game,” Sindhu said about the dramatic end. “I had to push myself hard, that’s why I suffered cramps,” she explained via an interpreter. That moment I just told myself to keep going, never give up.”
