Shuttler's parents keep celebrations on hold as she stuns World No 2 and defending champ to enter World Championships quarters
Even as PV Sindhu stunned the badminton world, accounting for defending champion and World No 2 Yihan Wang 21-18, 23-21, en route to the quarter-finals of the World Badminton Championships in Guangzhou, China yesterday, her parents were not ready to begin celebrating just yet.
PV Sindhu
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Her father, PV Ramana and mother P Vijaya, are happy that their daughter avenged her defeat to Yihan in their only previous meeting at the Sudirman Cup in May this year.
“Yes it’s a huge thing that she beat Yihan. But we will hold on to the celebrations for the moment. She should try and extract maximum confidence after this victory,” her mother Vijaya told MiD DAY from Hyderabad. “We are very happy for her. I don’t want to dream big now.
She has reached the quarter-finals and that’s an achievement, no doubt. But, I want her to take each match as it comes. It will be nice if she is able to make it to the final.”
Sindhu managed to take a 12-9 lead in the first game, before Yihan levelled at 16-16. Later, Sindhu used the net play to her advantage and won the game. In the second game, the 18-year-old had a 13-7 lead. But the defending champion fought back and made it 17-19. Sindhu made it 20-17 and later Yihan won four points to lead 21-20.
Eventually, Sindhu clawed back by first levelling and then taking the next two points to bag the match 23-21. She will take on another Chinese — seventh seed Shixian Wang in the quarters.
Sindhu’s father Ramana, a former India volleyball captain and also an Arjuna awardee, said that he was nervous ahead of the match. “I was traveling back to Hyderabad from Delhi by train when her match was going on. I was very nervous as she was playing Yihan.
“I called my colleagues in office to keep a track of each point. I couldn’t control my emotions when she won,” he said.u00a0Ramana added that Sindhu couldn’t practice from July 17-22 due to an ankle injury, so the victory was extra special.
He was also happy that she had learnt her lessons from their previous meeting. “During the Sudirman Cup, despite having a strapped knee she stretched her to a three-setter. But today, I am proud she beat her. I hope that such close matches will make her tough and she can continue to perform like that in every tournament.”u00a0
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