Badminton
Tokyo Olympics: PV Sindhu's gold medal dream is crushed by Tai Tzu-ying
Powering past PV Sindhu, World No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying avenges her loss to the Indian in 2016 by storming into the finals at the Tokyo Olympics.
PV Sindhu loses to Tai Tzu-ying at the Tokyo Olympics
A lover of the game couldn't have asked for a better contest between PV Sindhu and Tai Tzu-Ying for a place in the final of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Both the players have had their fair share of rivalry between them in the past and the Chinese Taipei boasted a 13-5 edge over the Indian in their head to head. Although, PV Sindhu has been a much improved player which was evident from her performance against Tai Tzu-Ying but she ultimately lost, in a closely fought match which the Indian lost 18-21 and 12-21, in under 40 minutes.
Sindhu hadn't dropped a game so far in the tournament which displayed her supremely improved skills and new tactics added to her sleeve. Today, it was a test of her grit and determination as the World no. 1 made her life difficult out on the court.
The match was a testament of the skill sets of both the players as they enthralled millions of people glued to their screen to what could be billed as the match of the tournament so far.
The first game and you could see the quality of badminton played between the two athletes, matching each other, point for point. Sindhu was quick off the starting blocks and maintained a point lead for almost the entirety of the game. At the break of 11 points, she led the Chinese Taipei by three points. The second half of the game was for Tai to make a comeback and that is what she did. Sindhu towards the end looked a tad out of sorts as the Tai took the first game 21-18.
The second game was something that kept the Indians nervous. Sindhu made several errors as most of her shots were called wide as the player from Chinese Taipei capitalized on it and took a 6 point lead and the match looked to be all but over for the Indian.
The dream of a place in the final of the Olympics and having that gold medal around your neck seemed to be fading away fast for Sindhu and a billion Indians whose wait would have to wait for another 3 years. Ultimately, the inevitable happened as we couldn't see a miraculous comeback from Sindhu as she lost the second game 12-21 and would now play for the Bronze medal against China's He Bingjiao.
