HYDERABAD: PV Sindhu trounced reigning All England champion
Chen Yu Fei
21-19, 21-10 to waltz into her first final of the year at the Indonesia Open BWF Super-1000 Tournament in Jakarta on Saturday.
Almost seven months after winning the BWF Tour finals, Sindhu is just one victory short of her first title this season. Incidentally, this will also be the first major final appearance by an Indian this year.
"I’m very happy to make my first finals this year. I will do my best to win the title," Sindhu told BWF website.
Asked about her approach against the Chinese girl, Sindhu said, "I never thought about her form and I was confident of my form. Even when I was trailing, I never took a back step... I fought back and equalised. I was ready for everything today."
In the title clash on Sunday, Sindhu will face
Akane Yamaguchi
, who downed World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying 21-9, 21-15. Sindhu enjoys a 10-4 win-loss record against Yamaguchi and has won the last four matches against her since All England in March 2018.
The Indian was wary of Yamaguchi. "Akane and me have played a lot. It's going to be a match with long rallies. I have to get back, rest well and come back. We know each other's game well, so there is not much of a strategy, it's just that we need to give our best on the court," Sindhu said.
Against Chen, Sindhu trailed by four points in the first game. From 14-18, Sindhu made it 19-18 but hit the bird wide and the scores were level at 19-19. After a long rally, Yu Fei found the net and misjudged one at the back court to handover the first game.
In the second game, a determined Yu Fei opened up a 4-0 lead. But Sindhu raced ahead by winning seven consecutive points from 2-5 to 8-5. From 10-8, Sindhu won eight straight points to move well clear of Yu Fei.
Fourth seed Tien Chen Chou made it to the men's singles final with a 21-19, 18-21, 21-16 victory against Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand. He will face the Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the final.
Indian challenge ends in RussiaThe Indian doubles teams lost their semifinal encounters at the Russian Open BWF Super-100 Tournament in Vladivostok on Saturday.
The women's doubles top seeds Jakkampudi Meghana and Poorvisha S Ram lost to Japanese fourth seeds Miki Kashihara and Miyuki Kato 10-21, 8-21.
In mixed doubles, eighth seeds Dhruv Kapila and Meghana lost to seventh seeds Adnan Maulana and Mychelle Crhystine Bandaso of Indonesia 6-21, 15-21.