PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth Advance to Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold Second Round

Malang: Indian shuttlers had a good day at Indonesia Masters as four of them, including PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, reached the second round of the USD 120,000 Grand Prix Gold tournament here on Wednesday. 

Top seed Sindhu, who won Macau Open last week, opened her campaign on a positive note, defeating Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska 21-16 19-21 21-12 in a women's singles match.

The two-time bronze medallist at World Championships, Sindhu next takes on Indonesia's Wulan Cahya Utami Sukoputri at Gedung Graha Cakrawala here on Thursday.

In the men's singles, top seed Srikanth thrashed Indonesia's Wibowo Setyaldi Putra 21-6 21-12, while eighth seed RMV Gurusaidutt beat another Indonesian Muhammad Ahdial Octa Khairulloh 21-10 21-3 in another match.

Third seed HS Prannoy, who had won the Indonesia Masters title last year when it was hosted by Jakabaring Sport City, Palembang, saw off Indonesia's Panji Ahmad Maulana 21-16 21-16.

World number eight Srikanth will next play against another Indonesian Saputra Vicky Angga, while Gurusaidutt will face the winner of the match between Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito and Singapore's Kean Yew Loh. Prannoy will fight it out against Chinese Shi Yuqi

PV Sindhu Targets Indonesia Open Badminton Title After Macau Hattrick

New Delhi: PV Sindhu won a third straight Macau Open badminton title and not content with her first trophy in an injury-hit season, the Indian shuttler has now set her sights on the Indonesia Masters Grand Prix Gold starting December 1. 

The two-time World Championship bronze-medallist finished runners-up at Denmark Open, her maiden Super Series final appearance, and then clinched her first trophy of the season at the Macau Open on Sunday. 

"It was a great win. I am really happy for the victory. My immediate target now is Indonesia," Sindhu told PTI.

Sindhu defeated the experienced Minatsu Mitani of Japan in three tight games at the USD 120,000 event for her first big win this year.

"It was a hattrick of titles at Macau and overall it was a good performance. Mitani is a good player. I lost to her at the Japan Open but I am happy I could beat her.

"I could have finished it off in the second game but I played two smashes into the nets at crucial moments and it was very disappointing. However, in the third game, I took a lead and maintained it," she added.

Asked about the conditions in the stadium, the 20-year-old Hyderabadi girl said: "I think judging a shuttle is different everywhere, so there is drift but you have to be used to it. We can't complain as I think it is same for all."

"In January, I am starting with the Indian Badminton League (IBL) and then there are so many tournaments like the Syed Modi and India Open Super Series. Also being an Olympic year, each and every tournaments will be important. I wish to improve more and perform well," Sindhu said, speaking about the season ahead.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for Sindhu this season as she lost a lot of ground on her competitors after suffering a navicular stress fracture in her left leg, which kept her out of action for a few months from important events such as the All England Championship and India Open.

Once back, she faced early exits at Australia, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei. She did notch a win over Olympic champion Li Xuerui but faltered against Mitani at Japan. However, she fought back again with a place at the Denmark final.

"Injuries are part of life, we can't decide on that. I could not play for three-four months. It was really very difficult. I think patience is the key. When you are injured, you need to strengthen yourself very well to make a comeback very confidently. It takes some time but I am happy that I am back now," she said.

PV Sindhu Says Macau Open Badminton Title Due to Better Fitness

 PV Sindhu attributed her third straight Macau Open Badminton Title to regaining full fitness ahead of the year-ending Grand Prix events. Sindhu defeated the experienced Minatsu Mitani of Japan in three tight games at the $120,000 event for her first big win this year.

This season, Sindhu has been laid low by a nagging heel injury. The 20-year-old Hyderabad girl, whose powerful smashes are well known in the circuit, has run hot and cold until she showed great consistency in her favourite hunting ground, Macau.

"Ending the year with a title is a great feeling. After coming back from an injury layoff, I lost in the final of the Denmark Open and now I won at Macau. I am really happy with my performance and of course, it's a hat-trick," Sindhu quoted

Trained by national coach Pullela Gopichand, Sindhu missed the All-England but showed signs of a strong return in the Denmark Open that boasted of a very strong field.

Good show in Denmark

Sindhu reached the final of the Denmark Super series. She defeated double world champion Carolina Marin, Wang Yihan and Tai Tzu Ying before losing in the final to Liu Xiuerei.

"I could have won the title but I was happy as that was the first tournament I played with full fitness," Sindhu, who had beaten Xuerui at the world championship in August, said.

Gopichand said Sindhu has added an important facet to her game - patience. She played the waiting game and even after losing the second game against Minatsu, Sindhu held her nerves to win a contest that ran to 66 minutes.

"Staying calm and patient are some of the areas we are working on with her. The way she fought back after the second game's loss and the manner she controlled the contest will help her in the long run," Gopichand has been quoted as saying in the media.

Sindhu will be in action in the Indonesian Open this week in Malang. She will be the top seed and will face almost the same field as in Macau.

Meanwhile on Monday, the Badminton Association of India announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh for Sindhu.

PV Sindhu beat Japan's Minatsu Mitani 21-9, 21-23, 21-14 to lift Third Consecutive Macau Open Title

Two-time defending champion P V Sindhu completed a hat-trict of women's singles title at the USD 120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold after defeating Japan's Minatsu Mitani in the finals here on Sunday.

Sindhu produced a dominating game to notch up a 21-9, 21-23, 21-14 win against sixth seed Mitani in a women's singles match that lasted an hour and six minutes here.

The World No. 12 Indian dished out some superb strokes and acute angled returns to bamboozle the Japanese, besides making some sound judgements at the baseline to get across Mitani, who struggled to keep the shuttle inside the court.

Sindhu dominated the proceedings right from the start as she rode on the errors of Mitani to reach 11-5 at the break. Mitani came up with an aggressive rally and sealed it with a down the line smash but she failed to curb her errors and most of her returns went wide and long to allow Sindhu lead 17-6 in a jiffy.

Sindhu, on the other hand, was mostly accurate with her smashes and drops as she lead 19-9. The Indian came up with some acute angled returns to trouble Mitani and reached the game point with a smash. The Japanese then went wide to hand over the first game to Sindhu.

After the change of sides, Sindhu once again started on a confident note but she also began missing the lines and Mitani lead 4-2. The Indian checked her unforced errors and came up with stunning smashes to wrest the lead and move to 7-4.

Sindhu made a few wrong judgements at the baseline and also found the net to allow Mitani to surge ahead. At 10-9, Mitani produced her first winner -- a cross court smash --which left a stretched Sindhu stranded to go into the break with two-point lead.

Mitani started off with a service fault but the Japanese came up with accurate placements which caught Sindhu off guard. But the Indian kept breathing down her neck and clawed back at 16-16.

The duo moved neck-and-neck till 19-19 when Sindhu made an important line judgement to move to match point. But she sent the shuttle long next. A delicate net point once again gave Sindhu a 21-20 match point but Mitani saved again. Sindhu next hit long to give the game point to Mitani, who grabbed the opportunity after the Indian netted following a long engrossing rally.

Back on her winning side, Sindhu once again marched ahead to a 5-3 lead. Mitani continued to struggle with her line judgements and returns to allow Sindhu establish a big lead at 9-4. The duo engaged in some long rallies with cross court strokes and back and forth returns. At one point, an on rushing Mitani came up with an aggressive net play to grab a point but Sindhu ensured she has a healthy 11-7 lead at the break.

After the interval, Sindhu grabbed six of the next eight points before Mitani pocketed a point with a superb net play. Sindhu lost a point when the linesmen judged a shuttle in but she grabbed the next with a timely stroke that grounded Mitani.

Mitani then made a wrong line call while Sindhu got one right to move into the match point at 20-11. The Japanese saved three match points but a composed Sindhu didn't panic and waited for Mitani's error and she soon send the shuttle wide again to help Sindhu complete her hat-trick of titles

PV Sindhu entered the finals of the Macau Open with a hard-fought win over Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals.

Macau: PV Sindhu reached the finals of the Macau Open with a hard fought 21-8,15-21, 21-16 win over Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals on Saturday in a match lasting just over an hour. 

Sindhu, who was in good form heading into the match, dominated the first game as she sealed the first game 21-8 in just 14 minutes.

However, Yamaguchi fought back in the second set and she matched Sindhu for intensity. The Japanese badminton player, ranked number nine in the world, upped her game and maintained her composure at crucial moments. At 15-15, the game was evenly poised but Yamaguchi seized the initiative to win it 21-15.

Sindhu regained the initiative and raced away to a 11-5 lead in the deciding game. However, Yamaguchi refused to give up as she fought till the very end. She reduced the deficit to three points but Sindhu remained calm to clinch it 21-16.

The hard-fought win for Sindhu was sweet revenge over her opponent. In the 2013 Yonex Japan Open, Yamaguchi had knocked Sindhu out of the tournament with a 6-21,17-21 loss.

Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth Qualify For BWF World Superseries Finals

New Delhi: Top Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth have sealed their spots for the second successive time at the prestigious BWF World Superseries Finals to be held in Dubai from December 9. 

The only Indians to feature in the season-ending event, world No.2 Saina and world No.8 Srikanth will compete against the other top eight players in the world in women's and men's singles respectively. 

World Championship silver medallist Saina and India Open winner Srikanth had qualified for the event last year but failed to advance beyond the semifinals.

While Saina lost to eventual winner Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, Srikanth was knocked out by China's Chen Long

PV Sindhu Storms Into Macau Open Badminton Semis; Men Crash Out

PV Sindhu has entered the semifinal of the Macau Open badminton championship. In a quarterfinal match on Friday, the fifth-seeded India got the better of unseeded Chen Yufei of China 21-13, 18-21, 21-14. Sindhu will clash with second seed Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals on Saturday. 

This was the first meeting between Sindhu and Yufei. The Indian was off to a flashy start. After a 4-0 lead, Sindhu never looked back. But for a brief recovery by Yufei (7-9), Sindhu steadily built her lead to win the first game in 16 minutes.

Yufei staged a comeback in the second game. She maintained a steady lead from the start and although Sindhu saved three game points, the Chinese girl prevailed to draw level.

Sindhu was certainly the better player on court. She used her better reach to take early control (7-3) and with a six-point lead at 12-6, it was always going to be tough for Yufei. Sindhu won in 54 minutes.

Praneeth, Prannoy Lose

In men's singles, India's B Sai Praneeth lost to Malaysia's Goh Soon Huat. Sai lost 16-21, 23-21, 13-21 in a hard-fought quarterfinal clash.

Indonesia's Ihsan Maulana Mustofa upset India's HS Prannoy in another men's singles quarterfinal contest. The 16th seed Mustofa got the better of seventh seed India 18-21, 21-19, 21-11 in a match that lasted an hour.

That leaves Sindhu as the only Indian in the tournament.

Kidambi Srikanth, H.S. Prannoy and Ajay Jayaram also slipped a place each to No.20 and 25, respectively, in the men's singles rankings but reigning Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap rose a spot to be ranked No.14.

New Delhi: Top Indian male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who on Wednesday qualified for the World Superseries Finals to be held in Dubai next month, dropped down a place to eighth in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on Thursday.

Like Srikanth, H.S. Prannoy and Ajay Jayaram also slipped a place each to No.20 and 25, respectively, in the men's singles rankings but reigning Commonwealth Games champion Parupalli Kashyap rose a spot to be ranked No.14. 

Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy also rose a place to No.20 in the men's doubles rankings.

But there was no movement for Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu in women's singles, who stayed at No.2 and 12, respectively.

Likewise in women's doubles, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa remained at the number 12 spot.

PV Sindhu Enters Macau Open Badminton Quarters

PV Sindhu has entered the quarterfinals of the Macau Open women's single event. The fifth-seeded Sindhu defeated Indonesia's Lindaweni Fanetri 21-17, 21-18 to set up a clash with China's Chen Yufei.

Sindhu's match last 46 minutes. She is India's best hope in the absence of Saina Nehwal. Living up to her reputation, Sindhu extended her head-to-head record against Lindaweni to 6-2.

Two-time world bronze medallist, Sindhu, had defeated Kim Hyo Min of Korea 21-13, 22-20 on Wednesday to set up a clash with Lindaweni. Sindhu is without a major win this year.

PV Sindhu defeated Kim Hyo Min of Korea 21-13 22-20 in women's singles second round at Macau Open

Macau: Three Indian shuttlers, including PV Sindhu, advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the USD 120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold but it was curtains for Ajay Jayaram in men's singles, here on Wednesday.

Two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, Sindhu, seeded fifth, defeated Kim Hyo Min of Korea 21-13 22-20 in a women's singles match to set up a clash with the

winner of the match between Indonesia's Lindaweni Fanetri and Cheng Chi Ya of Chinese Taipei.

In men's singles, Seventh seed HS Prannoy saw off Chinese Taipei's Lin Chia Hsuan 21-19 21-15 and will meet China's Qiao Bin on Thursday.

B Sai Praneeth, seeded 15th, spanked Uzbekistan's Artyom Savatyugin 21-11 21-8 in another match and will face the winner of the match between Indonesia's Andre Kurniawan Tedjono and Chinese Taipei's Yang Chih Chieh.

However, it turned out to be a disappointing day for ninth seed Jayaram as he lost 11-21 17-21 to Lin Guipu of China in another men's singles match.

2010 Commonwealth Games champion Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa continued their rough patch as they lost 16-21 15-21 to Japanese pair of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota in women's doubles event.

Lin Dan needed just 22 minutes to sweep aside Brazilian Igor Ibrahim 2-0 (21-12, 21-5) at the Riocentro venue.

Rio de Janiero: China's five-time world champion and dual Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan praised Rio 2016 preparations after a dominant opening performance at the badminton test event.

The 32-year-old needed just 22 minutes to sweep aside Brazilian Igor Ibrahim 2-0 (21-12, 21-5) at the Riocentro venue here on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Having been described as the David Beckham of badminton, Lin was the centre of attention on Tuesday and attracted a large gathering of journalists after his match.

"The games are getting closer and it's important to get to know the venue," Lin said.

It was not just the press and fans who were drawn by Lin's charisma.

Rival players were also keen to meet the man considered by many as badminton's greatest ever player.

Among them was Brazil's 72nd-ranked Ygor Coelho, who defeated Jarolim Vicen in his opening match.

"It was my birthday present," Coelho said of his meeting with his idol.

"It is three years since I last celebrated my birthday in Rio. I'm very happy to have won in front of my home fans and to have met Lin Dan," the Brazilian said.

Lin will be aiming for a hat-trick of Olympic gold medals next August, having triumphed in Beijing in 2008 and London four years later.

The November 24-29 test event, which is officially called the Yonex Brazil Grand Prix, includes 90 athletes.

World number seven Kidambi Srikanth's rough patch continued as he made yet another early exit with a 16-21, 21-23 loss to No.40 Christie Jonatan of Indonesia in the opening round of the Macau Open.

Macau: Top seed Kidambi Srikanth bowed out with a straight-game defeat but three other Indians, including Ajay Jayaram and HS Prannoy, advanced to the second round of the USD 120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold here on Tuesday. 

World number seven Srikanth's rough patch continued as he made yet another early exit with a 16-21 21-23 loss to Christie Jonatan of Indonesia, ranked 40th in the world, in the opening round here.

However, ninth seed Jayaram, who reached the Korea Super Series final and won the Dutch Open this season, produced a gallant effort to see off Hong Kong'sTam Chun Hei 21-6 25-23 in another men's singles event. The Mumbai shuttler will next take on Lin Guipu of China.

Seventh seed Prannoy also played out of his skin to notch up a 21-15 16-21 21-18 win over Indonesia's Sukamta Evert, while 15th seed B Sai Praneeth beat Indonesia's Fikri Ihsandi Hadmadi 21-18 23-21.

Prannoy will next take on Chinese Taipei's Lin Chia Hsuan, while Sai Praneeth will meet Uzbekistan's Artyom Savatyugin next at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion Macau here.

Two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, P V Sindhu, seeded fifth, will open her women's singles campaign against Kim Hyo Min of Korea tomorrow, while women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, seeded second, will face Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota of Japan.