Looking for a third title in 2022, PV Sindhu had a strong run at the $360,000 Thailand Open—she beat Japan’s world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-finals—until she was halted in the last four stage by Chinese Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei on Saturday.
Going in with a 6-4 advantage in career meetings, former world champion Sindhu never looked in control of the match except at the start of the second game, losing 17-21, 16-21 in 43 minutes to the third seeded Chinese at the Impact Arena in Bangkok.
The last time the two met was at the World Tour Finals in December 2019 when the world No 4 was an upcoming youngster and Sindhu was the world champion. Now, Chen is at the top of her game with the Olympic gold she won in Tokyo last year.
In a contest between two tall shuttlers—both are known for their court coverage and reach—Chen used the back court better with sublime drops and slices, regularly catching Sindhu off guard. Using the net too, Chen slowly began to build a small lead which continued to grow as the opening game progressed.
The Chinese shuttler kept it simple and used the six seeded Sindhu’s disadvantage of playing with the drift by constantly earning points. The two-time Olympic medallist produced some brilliant shots but they were not enough to keep pace with the scoreboard with Chen running away with the game in only 21 minutes.
Sindhu upped the ante in the second game, running away to a lead now that she was playing against the drift. But the contest completely changed after the mid-game interval. From 8-11 down, Chen fought back with five consecutive points to take the lead again.
Known for her game-reading skills, Chen calmly anticipated Sindhu’s moves and backed her technical skills, forcing Sindhu to commit errors. With points not going in her favour, Sindhu started hitting the shuttle wide in frustration.
The Chinese player made sure she held the lead, gaining control of the rallies as the match neared the end. Normally a weapon Sindhu uses often, the world No 7 didn’t employ the body smash at all. Chen, on the other hand, used placement with power to earn five match points and finished the job using Sindhu’s own signature move—the body smash.