PV Sindhu and Co were aiming to break India’s drought at the All England Open but that wasn’t to be as the world No 3, who lost in the semi-finals, reached the furthest among her compatriots.
Tai Tzu Ying, the world No 1 from Taiwan, became the first women’s singles player in more than a decade to successfully defend the title. In the men’s singles, Chinese star Lin Dan was denied a seventh All-England Open title as his young compatriot Shi Yuqi clinched a shock victory in the final.
Here is how all the Indians fared:
PV Sindhu – semi-finals
Sindhu recorded her best ever finish at the All England as she reached the semi-finals, where she was beaten by world No 2 Akane Yamaguchi.
It was another pulsating and see-saw contest between the world Nos 2 and 3, just like their summit clash at the Dubai World Superseries Finals in December. The match went the distance, clocking one hour and 19 minutes before Yamaguchi came out a 19-21, 21-19, 21-18 winner.
All of Sindhu’s four matches at the All England went the distance – into three games – and she was on court for four hours and 45 minutes. Her fitness was up a notch but it still wasn’t enough to get past Yamaguchi, who was a lot fresher ahead of the semi-final.
Sindhu looks an improved player despite the semi-final exit but she has a few things to work on, like finishing off games when in the lead.
Saina Nehwal – first round
As soon as the draw for the All England was released, odds of Saina Nehwal winning a medal plummeted as she was pitted against world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the first round itself. Nehwal hadn’t beaten Tai Tzu in their last seven matches and it was to be no different in Birmingham as the Chinese Taipei player raced to a facile 21-14, 21-18 win.
After the match, Nehwal said she was happy to give the world No 1 a good fight. “I was able to pick up most of the shots but winning is tough against someone who is so consistent. I’m trying my best, so hopefully next time, yeah,” she said.
K Srikanth – second round
Kidambi Srikanth was expected to go far at the All England this year considering his superb 2017 season but the newly promoted world No 2 went down to China’s Huang Yuxiang 11-21, 21-15, 20-22 in the second round itself.
Srikanth slammed the chair officials after being called for a series of “ridiculous” service faults as per the revamped BWF rules. However, that was no excuse for his form, which looks nowhere near the level last season.
HS Prannoy – quarter-finals
Not many people would have expected Prannoy to get past his opening round against eighth seed Chou Tien Chen, especially since he was just coming back from a long injury layoff. However, Prannoy prevailed 9-21, 21-18, 21-18 after an inspired display and then even went on to beat Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto in straight games in the second round.
Prannoy was then the favourite to beat China’s Huang Yuxiang, a player ranked more than 20 spots below him in the quarter-finals. However, the Indian was left to rue an inexplicable error late in the third game of his quarter-final as he lost 22-20, 16-21, 21-23 after an hour and 17 minutes. If he had won that match, he would have set up a mouth-watering semi-final against the legendary Lin Dan.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty – second round
India’s rising doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were also on the verge of pulling off an upset win over second seeded Danes Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen but a few service faults in crucial moment saw them lose 16-21, 21-16, 21-23 in an hour and three minutes.
“It was unfortunate that we got faulted every 2-3 points in the end of the third game, it was crucial times and we were really unlucky,” Shetty said after the match.
The service rule has been lambasted by all top players, including Sindhu, Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Viktor Axelsen and prominent coaches such as India’s P Gopichand and Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen, who described it “discriminating against tall players”.
Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra – second round
India’s only mixed doubles pair in the championship got past their opening round against a German duo with ease but then were ousted by second seeds Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping of China 6-21, 10-21 in the pre-quarter-finals.
B Sai Praneeth – first round
Sai Praneeth took the first game against former world No 1 Son Wan Ho but the South Korean prevailed in three games. The Indian went down 13-21 21-15 21-11 in 59 minutes to make a first-round exit.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy – first round
The Indian women’s doubles pair also lost their first-round tie to the Japanese second seeds Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 14-21, 13-21.
Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy – first round
The national champions could not get past the local pair of Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge in the first round, as they lost 20-22, 12-21.
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