India girls beat Indonesia to assure of third-pace finish in Uber Cup
Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and the doubles pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa won their respective matches to create history as India made it into the semi-final of the Uber Cup for the first time. The win also assured Indian eves of at least a bronze medal.
In the five-match rubber, 3-0 lead was enough for the home team to make the last-four cut.
On Wednesday, India had defeated Thailand to make their only second quarter-finals appearance and now a march forward, underlines the country’s rise in world badminton. The women’s team plays their semi-final match against Japan, who thrashed Denmark 3-0 earlier in the day.
In other quarter-final clashes, Korea overcame a strong Thailand challenge to set up the other final-four clash with China, who had an easy outing against England.
During the India-Indonesia tie, the hoe team went through a lot of anxious moments. First, it was skipper Saina who recovered from a bad start against lindaweni Fanetri to give a 1-0 lead to the team. later, Sindhu won her first game easily but a sudden reversal of fortunes lead her to drop the second game. She fought her way back in the third, though allowing Bellaetrix Manuputty to save four match points before winning the match 21-16, 10-21, 25-23.
But the biggest positive coming from the Indian camp on the day was the flair and elegance displayed by Jwala-Ashwini. Up against world No 9 Greysia Polli-Nitya Krishinda Maheswari, the world No 36 Indian pair showed good intent from the beginning to hold their nerves and win their match 21-18, 21-18 to wrap up a 3-0 win here at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
“We knew well that we had to go for the win,” said Jwala. “Their third singles and the second doubles are strong and we were desperate to finish it off,” Ashwini seconded.
Earlier, Saina started her match on a bad note. She looked slow and committed a lot of unforced errors. At 5-11, things were not looking good for the Hyderabadi and later the deficit swelled up to 7-15.
However, she recovered her composure and got her focus back to play like the way she is known for. Her movement got better and she turned the game on its head. Relying on her regal drop-shots and delectable slices, soon the world No 8 Indian equalized and earned seven points at a stretch to take the lead. As a result, her opponent got stuck at 16 points and managed only a point to lose the first game.
In the second game, a confident Saina raced to a 9-3 lead and converted it into a winning momentum to take the game 21-10. This win not only helped her give India a crucial 1-0 lead but also pushed her to 2-1 in one-on-one career meetings with lindawane.
“She is a good player. She is a tricky player with good strokes at net and hard smashes. So, I was expecting a top fight. It takes time to catch up with her. Sometimes, you don’t start really well and today was that day. At the start, I was hurrying up a lot. But, I got my focus back and in the second game, she got tired. I just played my game, without looking at points. I pulled the match after a rough start, that means I am getting my confidence back. I can feel that I am improving. Good to beat another top player,” Saina told reporters after her match.
later Sindhu won an 84-minute marathon-encounter against world No 24 Manuputty. She was in complete control in the first game, winning it 21-18. But, suddenly her lack of concentration coupled with Bellaetrix’s strong fightback led to the world No 11 under pressure. A 10-21 scoreline was beyond expectations.
In the third game, she she played better but it was the Indonesian who kept putting herself in the lead in the first half. Sindhu equalized at 16-16 and the game went neck and neck till 25-23 in favour of Sindhu. The match tested Sindhu’s stamina and mental acumen to the fullest.
“I have no words to express. My opponent was playing well and kept me busy with many rallies. I knew I had to be patient. Even after 20-20 she played a safe game and I had to maintain the same pace. That’s why there were some unforced errors from both of us. It happens in a tense game like this. I am happy I eventually won. Overall, I played my game,” said Sindhu.
In Thomas Cup semi-finals for the men, defending champions China will play Japan while Malaysia face Indonesia.