Jakarta PV Sindhu had to dig deep to down a fighting Vu Thi Trang of Vietnam but Saina Nehwal did not break any sweat as India’s top two shuttlers advanced to the women’s singles second round at the 18th Asian Games, here Thursday.
Sindhu faced stiff resistance from World No.52 Trang before prevailing 21-10, 12-21 23-21 in a tough opening round which lasted 58 minutes. In complete contrast, Saina just sailed into the second round with a crushing 21-7, 21-9 win over Iran’s Soraya Aghhajiagha in just 26 minutes.
In the next round, both Sindhu and Saina play Indonesia players who will have crowd support. Sindhu takes on Tunjung Gregoria Mariska while Saina will lock horns with Fitriani Fitriani.
“I did not take it easy but it was a very tough match. It was anybody’s game, each point was important. I was making too many errors and that allowed her to come back into the contest,” Sindhu said after her match.
Saina said she had come prepared for her opponent. “I had seen her past records. She has played some good match at series tournaments. She knows how to play against big players, so I prepared accordingly,” said Saina.
Asked if there could be Sindhu-Saina final, Saina said her compatriot has a better chance to make it to the final. “It’s not easy but I will try my best, she (Sindhu) has a good chance. It’s not easy playing here. I play an Indonesian next and she will be cheered by home fans.”
In other matches, Ashwini Ponappa and N Sikki Reddy advanced in women’s doubles with 21-16, 21-15 win over Hong Kong’s Ng Wing Yung and Yeung Nga Ting. Odisha girl Rutaparna Panda and her partner however Arathi Sunil, bowed out of the competition, with a tame 11-21, 6-21 loss to Thailand’s Chayanti Chaladchalam and Phataimas Muenwong.
Also advancing were Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who got the better of Hong Kong’s Yonny Chung and Chun Hei Tam 21-12, 21-14 in men’s doubles.
The Sindhu-Trang match was a real nerve-wracking encounter. After sharing the first two games, both players were not ready to give each other an inch. Sindhu for a brief while led 16-12, but Trang soon caught up at 19-all. However, the Vietnamese then hit long to give Sindhu her first match point. The Indian, however, squandered it by smashing into the net. However, Sindhu closed the game on her third match point with a smash.