HS Prannoy in fine touch, PV Sindhu falls to Tai Tzu
Kuala Lumpur, July 8
A fighting HS Prannoy edged out Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama to progress to the semifinals but two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu couldn’t find a way to get past her nemesis Tai Tzu Ying at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 here today.
Prannoy, a former top-10 player, continued his fine run by notching a 25-23 22-20 win in a see-saw quarterfinals contest against world No. 14 Tsuneyama in 60 minutes. He will next face eighth seed NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong in the last-four stage.
The contest turned out to be a game of fluctuating fortunes as the two highly-skilled players engaged in a battle of one-upmanship, with Prannoy showing nerves of steel as he saved game points twice to emerge victorious.
A week after being outwitted by Tai Tzu Ying at the Malaysia Open, seventh seed Sindhu once again fell short against the world No. 2, losing 13-21 21-12 12-21 in a 55-minute contest. It was Sindhu’s 17th career defeat to the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, who has prevailed over the Indian in their last seven meetings. The last time Sindhu had defeated the Taiwanese was en route her 2019 World Championships gold-winning run in Basel, Switzerland.
Brilliant Tai Tzu
It was business as usual for Tzu Ying as she rode her precision and deceptive game to get past Sindhu, who once again flattered to deceive.
Tzu Ying made her intent clear from the start and after an initial close duel, managed to pull away from 10-9 to jump to 15-9 and held on to take lead in the match.
After the change of ends, Sindhu seemed to have found her bearings as she galloped to an 11-4 lead and then kept a firm grip on the rallies to roar back into the contest.
The Indian carried her momentum into the decider, leading 7-3 at one stage and, for a moment, it seemed like she had cracked the Tzu Ying code. But the second seed once again managed to turn the tables on Sindhu, grabbing a two-point cushion at the final break.
It was one-way traffic after the interval as Sindhu’s unforced errors coupled with her rival’s brilliance tilted the match completely in favour of Tzu Ying.
