Defence is best attack for PV Sindhu

The whole of India watched the 83-minute roller coaster against Carolina Marin, but Sung Ji Hyun had inflicted an almost similar misery on Sindhu at the 2015 World Championships like the one that was beginning to throb in the semifinals of the China Open. Sindhu had lost the opening game, and at 17-20 down, she was staring at three match points for the Korean.

A former international who had watched Sindhu move around the court tired and seemingly lacking in fitness, reached for the remote, snapped the tele shut and headed off for a Saturday nap, not wanting to see her lose. He was stunned an hour later to find the Indian having won 11-21, 23-21, 21-19.

It vaguely felt like the mid-point of India’s heist in the Natwest Trophy they eventually pulled off at Lord’s 14 years ago. At 17-20 down, Sindhu, though, like that pair of 21-year-olds was in the mood to be audacious. Midway though the second, and halfway through the match as it turned out to be, Sindhu and Sung were embroiled in a slugfest — long punishing rallies, no one blinking, with relentless retrieving that was quite plainly painful to watch as the two huffed and puffed.

The Korean wasn’t too sharp, playing her defense at a medium pace and completely blanking out smacking the shuttle to Sindhu’s forehand corner. But she was picking Sindhu’s smashes accurately (also because they were all cross-courts, hardly any down the lines) – resulting in stalemates that morphed into endless rallies. It was an interminable wait for errors, though Sindhu stunningly hung in there at the near empty Haixia Olympic Sports Centre.

Tactical change

Sindhu’s attacking game is her biggest weapon, and her mightiest weakness. Against a determined monotone like Sung, it loses its sting because the Korean senses every strike and is in position to send the shuttle right back, even if that’s the entire sum total of her plan.

Her attack neutralised, Sindhu needed to change tack. That it happened on the brink of losing in straight sets added to the drama. Her coaches Siadutt Ullah and Madhumita Bisht had been drilling it for a while that she needed to tone down her attack. A long rally at 11-10 was the first sign that Sindhu – wired to aggression, was willing to mellow.

Playing safe, she ground out three points to level at 20, waiting for the weak return and retrieving doggedly even as Sung got desperate to close out the match, aiding Sindhu in turn. Eschewing all aggressive strokes, she would take the match into the decider.

The Indian would again ramp it up at the start of the third, and pay for being impetuous by trailing 3-7, the slower side of the court taking the punch out of her tosses and smashes. She would learn her lesson eventually – mixing the pace, and alternating defense and offence, to get back into the game. Having a temperament to slow down and dig her heels – realising that good retrievers grow comfortable when she goes ballistic – is a mighty challenge for someone who’s first instinct is to attack. But given the plethora of opponents on the circuit who play the rally game,

Sindhu will be expected to do this often. As such, it mightily confuses her opponents.
At 18-all, Sung would hit a tap that Sindhu lifted high, and she was on her way to her second-ever Super Series final finishing with a flourish of her jump smashes.

It could be Sindhu’s chance of winning her maiden Premier Super Series, if she can get past China’s top contender Sun Yu, who too fancies a rally game to go with 6 feet frame and loping strides, but boasts of a wider variety of weapons than the Korean.

“So many rallies, each point was a rally. She didn’t leave anything,” Sindhu told BWF later, adding, “This was one of my best matches.”

The tall Chinese leads Sindhu 3—2, though they’ve not played since March 2014. Much has changed since then – Sindhu’s an Olympic silver medallist and Sun Yu will be under pressure to defend China’s citadel. It’s an enticing rivalry – given it’ll play out many times in the coming years (they are aged 21 and 22 respectively). Sindhu announced her arrival at the Rio Games.

At China, she has a chance to enforce her dominance. If she can channel her aggression – heading to the trenches when needed. “It’ll be a long match and Sindhu’ll need to play steady,” coach Siadutt reckoned, “today’s match was a lesson.”