Sindhu chases elusive gold

Basel (Switzerland), August 18 

Two-time silver medallist PV Sindhu will look to produce another masterclass when she resumes her quest for an elusive gold at the BWF World Championships beginning here tomorrow.

Sindhu has been the most consistent performer in the World Championships in the last few years with two silver and two bronze medals but a gold medal has so far eluded her. The 24-year-old has always managed to find her best form in the World Championships. However, she missed the trick in the summit clash twice. While she lost to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in an epic battle, lasting 110 minutes, in 2017, Sindhu was beaten by Olympics champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the 2018 final.

Fifth seed Sindhu, who is coming into the prestigious event with a runner-up finish at the Indonesia Open last month, has been working on her fitness and defence in her pursuit to outlast her opponents. “I’ve been working on my defence, physical fitness and also on-court skills. I have trained hard and I hope I can do well. I have to perform well but there is no pressure,” said Sindhu, who has received a bye in the first round.

Eighth seed Saina Nehwal, who boasts of one silver and one bronze in the World Championships, has been given a bye as well.

In the men’s singles, former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will look to put up a good show after recovering from a knee problem which he suffered ahead of the Sudirman Cup. Sameer Verma, who was bothered by a shoulder issue, is in the same half as Srikanth. The other challengers from India are B Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy. The men’s pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who clinched the Thailand Open title recently, has pulled out due to injuries. — PTI