2019 BWF World Championships
P V Sindhu: Five greatest moments of her career
P V Sindhu beat World No.4 Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to win the gold medal at the BWF Championship this year. The 23-year-old outclassed the third-seeded Okuhara 21-7, 21-7.
A rampaging P V Sindhu decimated Nozomi Okuhara in straight games 21-7, 21-7, barely breaking a sweat. P V Sindhu was the cynosure of all eyes as she took the court at BWF World Championship against old rival Okuhara. A bronze medal in 2013, again in 2014, and a silver in 2017, the Hyderabad-based shuttler spearheaded the Okuhara challenge in the final bout of the tournament and continued her unbowed feat. Sindhu’s stock of victories keeps moving on the up, and the ace shuttler has undoubtedly been India’s best badminton player over the last couple of years.
On Sunday, Sindhu added another title to her growing list as she clinched the World Championship title, becoming the first Indian to do so. Suffice to say that India seldom has ever had an athlete as dominant as Sindhu at the topmost levels of the racquet sports. Her power smashes and indentable defence, as she had demonstrated in her fight against Tai Tzu Ying, was sound enough to repel the wares that a daring Okuhara ever dished out. Most definitely, we never expected one-way traffic all the way, for a deadly Okuhara is one to be cowered before, given her stuttering campaign in the entire tournament but to utter dismay, it was not certainly the best of displays from Okuhara today.
The 24-year-old Sindhu asserted her rise and dominance on the international stage as she headlined India's phenomenal show in badminton. Her consistently scintillating form has bolstered the belief that Indian badminton players are now a driving force in world badminton. Here are five times the Hyderabad-based shuttler proved her mettle in her career. Here are five times the Hyderabad-shuttler proved her mettle in her career.Â
BWF World Championship (2019)
P V Sindhu beat World No.4 Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to win the gold medal at the BWF Championship this year. The 23-year-old outclassed the third-seeded Okuhara 21-7, 21-7. Sindhu now leads the head-to-head tie with the Japanese by 9-7. This is her maiden gold medal at a World Championship tournament. The Hyderabad girl showed strong grit and perseverance to win this long-eluded gold medal on her third consecutive final appearance. With this win, she avenged her 2017 defeat to Okuhara by narrow margins.
BWF Tour Final (2018)
Sindhu clinched her maiden gold medal in 2018 by defeating Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-19, 21-17 in the women's singles final of BWF World Tour Finals 2018 at Guangzhou, China. It was a brilliant display of excellent mental fortitude and supreme skills to win the title. With the straight-game victory, Sindhu became the first Indian to win the BWF World Tour Finals title.
Indian Open (2017)
Sindhu showcased the glimpses of her vintage self once again, this time at India Open tournament where she demolished top-seed Spaniard Carolina Marin in an eye-popping 21-19, 21-16 victory to avenge her Rio defeat. She beat Saina and Sung Ji Hyun earlier in the tournament to progress into the final.
China Open Super Series (2016)
Sindhu added another feather to her cap by winning her first superseries final at the China Open Super Series tournament. She blasted past a helpless Sun Yu of China with scores of 21-11, 17-21, and 21-11. Sindhu was the third Indian after her counterparts Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth, who won the women’s and men’s singles titles respectively in 2014.
Rio Olympics (2016)
Sindhu scripted history when she became the first Indian woman shuttler to win an Olympic silver medal. While Saina took Indian badminton to unprecedented heights in international tournaments, it was compatriot Sindhu who made a breakthrough at the international stage. She looked to wrap it up in straight games in the final of the women’s singles event but failed to overcome a fiery Carolina Marin of Spain losing 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 in a game that lasted 83 minutes.
Sindhu has won multiple Superseries titles and World Championships medals over the last few years. This edition of the World Championship presented a remarkable opportunity for her to bag a medal for the country in the women’s singles category. The 23-year-old shuttler did not disappoint. At the recently-concluded World Badminton Championships in Basel, Sindhu not only claimed gold but won the adulation of millions by trouncing big names in the world badminton stage— from Sung Ji Hyun to Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi. Congratulations, Sindhu!
