PV Sindhu in quarters after 6 months; thanks to Prakash..

PV Sindhu faced strong battle against former world number eight Li, but she pulled off a 20-22 22-20 21-19 comeback victory.

French Open ,PV Sindhu ,Badminton ,Srikanth Kidambi

PV Sindhu moved to the second round of the women’s singles at the French Open Super 750 badminton competition in Paris on Wednesday, defeating Michelle Li of Canada in three games.

Sindhu, a double Olympic medalist, had tight resistance from former world number eight Li, but she came back from behind to win 20-22 22-20 21-19 in an hour and 20 minutes at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle.

Ah, nothing like a good old grind! 😅

Always happy to get a win in tricky, drifty conditions with a new team sitting behind me ❤️

And what makes it even more special is having a true legend of Indian badminton by my side, taking on a coaching assignment after 25 years just to… pic.twitter.com/EuCcPz1J69
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) March 6, 2024

Kidambi Srikanth also advanced to the men’s singles second round with a surprise victory over Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, however HS Prannoy was eliminated in the first round.Srikanth, the world No. 24 who is racing against the clock to qualify for the Paris Olympics, defeated 14th-ranked Chen 21-15, 20-22, 21-8 in a 66-minute first round match, his third victory over the Taiwanese shuttler in seven encounters.

The 2021 world championships silver medalist Srikanth will face China’s world No. 17 Lu Guang Zu, who terminated Prannoy’s campaign with a solid 21-17, 21-17 triumph on the adjacent court.

Sindhu, who is playing only her second tournament after recovering from a knee injury suffered in the same event in October last year, won her 10th match against Li in 13 matches.Sindhu, who had previously lost to Li at the Thailand Open in May of last year, was still looking for her ‘A’ game as she fought for the most of the match.Li’s offense worked for the most of the first half of the match, with strong shot quality in the midcourt area. But Sindhu gradually gained confidence as she rallied from 13-17 behind after losing the first game to win the second.

While Sindhu had some time to adjust to the circumstances, Li was spot on from the outset, executing a broad range of strokes during the short and sharp rallies. The Canadian led 11-7 at the first interval.

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With the legendary Prakash Padukone and Agus Dwi Santoso as coaches, Sindhu was able to get her act together, pushing Li to the back and producing forehand crosses and amazing drops.Soon, it was 14-14 and then 19-19 when Li got a game point, only for Sindhu to tie it with a fortuitous shot at the net.

Li secured another game point, but this time Sindhu sailed long as the Canadian won the first game.Li gained a 7-4 lead after switching sides, with her cross-court drop shot paying off even as Sindhu was left to deal with unforced errors. A forehand smash let Li take an 11-6 lead at the break.