Horsens (Denmark), Apr 27 (PTI): Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu squandered a dominant position as India were pushed to the verge of elimination in the Uber Cup even as the men’s team stormed into the last-eight of the Thomas Cup with a 5-0 sweep of Australia here on Monday.
Sindhu looked set for a statement win before letting slip a 18-12 lead in the decider to go down 16-21, 21-19, 19-21 to world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi in the opening singles, with India trailing China 0-1 in a must-win Group A tie.
The task only gets tougher against the defending champions and 16-time winners China, who boast the likes of Olympic champion Chen Yufei and world No. 1 pair of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
Earlier, India, the 2022 champions, sealed a place in the Thomas Cup Finals quarterfinals with a commanding 5-0 victory over Australia in a Group A tie.
India and China occupy the top spots in the group. The 2022 champions had opened with a 4-1 win over Canada, while China blanked Australia 5-0 and beat Canada 4-1 earlier in the day.
The two sides will clash in their final group tie on Wednesday to decide the group topper.
Paris Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen set the tone with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Ephraim Stephen Sam to hand India an early lead.
US Open champion Ayush Shetty, who recently finished runner-up at the Badminton Asia Championships, doubled the advantage with a dominant 21-8, 21-6 victory over Shrey Dhand.
India’s top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the Asian Games champions, made it 3-0, defeating Rizky Hidayat and Jack Yu 21-14, 21-16 to clinch the tie.
HS Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the 2023 World Championships and Asian Games, extended the lead with a 21-11, 21-17 win over Rishi Honda Boopathy in under 30 minutes.
In the second doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun outplayed Andika Ramadiansyah and Ephraim Stephen Sam 21-12, 21-10 as India completed a flawless outing without dropping a match.
In the Uber Cup, India had opened with a 2-3 loss to hosts Denmark before bouncing back with a 4-1 win over Ukraine.
However, following Sindhu’s defeat, it will take a miraculous effort for India to go through to the knockouts.
Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra are set to face Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the first doubles, while Isharani Baruah will be up against Chen Yufei.
The pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take on Luo Xu Min and Zhang Shu Xian, and Devika Sihag is slated to meet Xu Wen Jing in the third singles.
Sindhu vs Wang =========== Sindhu recovered from an early 4-7 deficit in the first game, drawing level at 9-9 before reeling off five straight points to take an 11-9 lead at the interval. She maintained control with sharp net play and attacking smashes to move to 14-10, but Wang raised her intensity late, using deception and precise placement to claw back.
From 16-16, the Chinese edged ahead and closed out the game with a series of winners.
The Indian responded aggressively in the second game, opening up a 9-4 lead with a barrage of smashes. Wang fought back with her trademark angles and deception to level at 10-10, but Sindhu held her nerve in the closing stages. Leading 18-16, she earned two game points and converted on the second with a powerful smash to force a decider.
Sindhu carried the momentum into the third game, racing to a 9-3 lead and extending it to 11-6 at the break. She continued to dictate play, stretching the advantage to 18-12 with relentless attacking strokes.
However, the momentum swung dramatically thereafter. Wang mounted a remarkable comeback, stringing together six consecutive points to level at 18-18. The Chinese then edged ahead 19-18 before Sindhu drew level once again. Wang earned match point with a steep smash and sealed the contest when Sindhu found the net, completing a stunning turnaround. PTI ATK DDV
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
