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India’s ace women’s badminton player, PV Sindhu, emphatically commenced her Paris Olympics campaign on Sunday, July 28. Playing her first group-stage match in the women’s singles, PV Sindhu defeated her opponent in straight games. She took less than 30 minutes to beat Maldives’ Fathimath Nabaaha, who is ranked just outside the top 100. Sindhu won the match 21-9, 21-6.
The two-time Olympic medallist began her women’s singles campaign in Paris as the 10th seed.
Sindhu, who has shown signs of nearing her best form in recent times, thoroughly dominated Fathimath from the very first point. Sindhu was able to push back her opponent into the backcourt and then attack her with powerful smashes. Fathimath struggled particularly with her net exchanges, frequently hitting the net while attempting to lift the shuttle from the front court. The 15 points that Sindhu lost in total happened due to her experimenting with different shots from the back of the court.
The shuttler was happy with her outing in the first game and mentioned that she considered Sunday’s game as a practice match.
“No, I was confident because I had played against her before and knew her style. It felt like a practice match to me. But I didn’t want to take it easy from the start. I took the lead early and used the time to get used to the court. I gave away a few points and there were some rallies, but overall it was a comfortable win for me,” P V Sindhu said in her court-side interview.
PV Sindhu has not been in her best form recently. In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, Sindhu faced multiple injuries and had to work hard to regain her top form. She spoke about the struggles she faced in recent times and credited her team for helping her return to top fitness levels both physically and mentally.
PV Sindhu’s resounding victory in her opening match at the Paris Olympics not only boosts her confidence but also sends a strong message to her competitors. As the tournament progresses, Sindhu aims to maintain her form and bring glory to India once again.
