PV Sindhu produced a stunning performance to book her place in the badminton semi-finals at Rio 2016 after beating World No. 2 and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Wang Yihan of China 22-20, 21-19.
After soaking up early pressure, Sidnhu recovered from 0-3 down to level the game at 5-5, stretching her opponent at every opportunity.
But Yihan started to gather momentum and entered the mid-game interval with a slender 11-8 lead. It did not unsettle the young Indian and she came back to level the contest 14-14.
The game continued to increase in intensity with the lead switching sides. Sindhu earned her first game point at 20-19 but a determined Yihan saved it to make it 20-20. However, a loose approach shot from Yihan led to Sindhu converting for the game winner.
Riding high on confidence, the Indian kept the pressure on the former World No. 1 in the second game. Banking on her attacking shots, she soared into an 8-3 lead and then an 11-8 advantage as Yihan started squandering more chances.
After Sindhu surged ahead (18-13), the second seed reeled off six points in a row to make it 19-18. But the Indian held her nerve and closed out the match in 54 minutes to record an impressive win.
She is now the second Indian badminton player since Saina Nehwal in 2012 to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic Games. One more win will assure her of a medal but to do that, she has to beat a player whom she has failed to overcome in their last three meetings.
Nozomi Okuhara, the World No. 6 from Japan, is the reigning All England Open champion and will be looking to break down the Indian with her tremendous defensive game.
If Sindhu can summon the same courage and determination that she showed against Yihan, she has a chance to secure India’s first medal of the games.
