Badminton
Arctic Open 2023: PV Sindhu sails into the semifinal
PV Sindhu reached her fourth major semifinal of 2023 after defeating Thuy Linh Nguyen of Vietnam at the Arctic Open Super 500.
PV Sindhu (File Photo/Getty images)
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought valiantly to get better of Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen in a marathon quarterfinal match at the Arctic Open Super 500 on Friday.
Sindhu booked the semifinal berth after winning a 91-minute thriller against Nguyen 20-22, 22-20, 21-18.
This is the fourth semifinal of the year for PV Sindhu. Earlier this year, she advanced to the last four of the Spain Masters (finalist), Malaysia Masters and Canada Open.
She will face world number 11 Wang Zhi Yi of China in the semifinal. With Tai Tzu Ying out of the tournament, Sindhu has the best chance to win her first title of the year,
Sindhu started the quarterfinal by losing the first game very closely. From leading 11-4 at the mid-game break, Sindhu lost the first game 20-22.
The scoreline reversed in the second game as Sindhu won the second game with five consecutive points.
In the deciding third game, Nguyen produced a late fight-back but Sindhu was at her best as she raced to a 20-15 lead before sealing the match in one hour and 31 minutes.
Sindhu is the only Indian left in the fray in the Arctic Open after Kiran George, Kidambi Srikanth, Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto made their respective last-16 exits on Thursday.
