Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu fought her way into the second round of the Indonesia Open Super 1000 tournament on Tuesday, overcoming long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara in a tense three-game encounter. Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen exited in the opening round after a valiant effort against world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi.
Sindhu, looking to build momentum in the 2024 season, defeated Okuhara 22-20, 21-23, 21-15 in a hard-fought match that lasted one hour and 19 minutes. The Indian shuttler posted an emotional message after a tough match that lasted 1 hour and 19 minutes. She took to her social media account and urged Nozomi
“14 years. 20 matches. From my longest to the shortest World Championship finals — always with her. We’ve shared wins, losses, and a rivalry only we understand. Keep fighting, Nozomi. The court’s never quite the same without you,” Sindhu wrote after the match.
On the men’s side, 2021 World Championships bronze medallist Sen showed grit in his clash against Shi but eventually went down 11-21, 22-20, 15-21 in a gripping first-round contest that lasted 65 minutes.
Returning from a back injury that had sidelined him from the Malaysia Masters, the 23-year-old Sen displayed remarkable resilience. After trailing 11-17 in the second game, he saved a match point and stormed back to win it 22-20, pushing the match into a decider. However, the Chinese top seed regained control in the third game to seal the victory.
Sindhu’s clash with Okuhara followed a familiar pattern from their many past duels — a test of patience, strategy, and endurance.
The Indian ace edged a tightly contested opening game 22-20, saving a game point and delivering at key moments with aggressive cross-court shots. In the second game, Sindhu started strong but trailed 7-11 at the mid-game break. She clawed back to earn two match points, only to be undone by a series of unforced errors, allowing Okuhara to snatch the game 23-21.
In the deciding game, both players played cautiously, unwilling to take undue risks. Sindhu led 11-9 at the interval and then shifted gears, producing a flurry of winners to race ahead 20-12. Although she needed five match points to close it out, Sindhu eventually sealed the win and her place in the round of 16.