After beating compatriot Saina Nehwal in the quarter-finals of the India Open Super Series, world No 5 PV Sindhu said that it was “just another match” and there was nothing special about the win against the two-time champion.
“[Saina] is not special that I have to win against her,” Sindhu said, as reported by Hindustan Times. “She is like another player whom I have to play. It’s not that I have to win against her whenever I play. But I try to give my best against each player and gave my best against her too.” Nehwal did not attend the post-match press conference.
Sindhu won the first game 21-16, before Nehwal fought back to take a 16-12 lead in the second. However, Sindhu launched a spirited fightback late in the second game to take it to 20-all, before taking the game 22-20 and avoiding a deciding game. This was also the first time Sindhu had beaten Nehwal in an international match.
The third seed said that there were “no nerves at all” while she was trailing in the second game. “I had belief in myself I will win,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking of the third game, but was fighting to earn each point. That was important.”
Sindhu will meet second seeded Korean Sung Ji Hyun in the semi-finals. A win there could see a repeat of the Rio Olympics final against top seeded Spaniard Carolina Marin, who has also reached the semi-finals.
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