Badminton
Tokyo Olympics: Who will PV Sindhu meet in the bronze medal match?
After an upsetting loss against Tai Tzu-ying, PV Sindhu will hope to bring back bronze as she clashes against China's He Bingjiao.
He Bingjiao (Source: Badmintonphoto)
China's He Bingjiao, a name you might not have heard quite often in Badminton is now showing her masterclass at the Tokyo Olympics as she reaches the bronze medal match after losing out to her compatriot Chen Yufei by 16-21, 21-13, 12-21. The World No. 9 will now face the Indian super shuttler PV Sindhu in the bronze medal match after the 2016 Rio Olympics lost to World No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying, 21-18, 21-12.
Who is He Bingjiao?
The former World No. 6 is a Chinese shuttler who started training from the age of 7. The young 24-year old Bingjiao made her international debut in 2013 and has ever been consistent at the World stage. Her greatest tournament has been the Swiss Open of 2016 where she defeated the likes of Ratchanok Intanon, PV Sindhu, and Sun Yu in her race to the finals.
Other than this, she has been the winner of 2 BWF Superseries titles, 5 BWF Grand Prix and 1 BWF World Tour with various runner-up positions and third-place finishes. This talented shuttler from China is a surprise package as she tricks her opponent with her drop shots and deceptive gameplay. Bingjiao is competing at her first Olympic Games and her fighting spirit is already visible in her run-up to the final stage.
Thrashing her opponents with scores like 21-6, 21-3, she topped the group stage and entered the quarters. After receiving a bye due to the retirement of Beiwen Zhang of the USA in the Pre-quarters, she defeated the 3rd seed and 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist, Nozomi Okuhara in the quarters by 13-21, 21-13, 21-14. Her run was stopped by fellow Chinese and top seed Chen Yufei who will now play for gold while Bingjiao will fight it out with PV Sindhu for the bronze.
What are her chances against PV Sindhu?
Bingjiao has been leading the head-to-head record against PV Sindhu with 3 match advantage (9-6: wins-losses). She won their recent meeting at the HSBC BWF World Tour finals in 2019 by 19-21,19-21. The close margin reflects the competitiveness of both the players, so expect the bronze medal match to be a top-notch contest.
