Tokyo 2020, badminton: PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying - head to head record by the numbers

On paper, the battle between current world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying versus the reigning World Champion PV Sindhu in the women’s singles badminton semi-final on Tokyo Olympics favours only one shuttler based on previous meetings. The Chinese Taipei shuttler holds a phenomenal 13-5 record against Sindhu.

It is a rivalry that is as prolific in badminton as that of Sindhu and the Japanese shuttlers (all had met 18 times before Tokyo 2020 incidentally). Sindhu vs Tai is by some distance the most one-sided though.

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Sindhu kept alive India’s hopes of a first-ever Olympic gold in badminton by reaching the semifinals of the women’’s singles with a straight-game win over world No 5 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi.

The 26-year-old Indian, who won a silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics, defended brilliantly and rode on her attacking all-round game to outclass the fourth seeded Yamaguchi 21-13 22-20 in a 56-minute quarterfinal clash at the Musashino Forest Plaza here.

Yamaguchi had scripted a late comeback in the second game, grabbing two game points but Sindhu ensured there were no hiccups, registering her 12th win over Yamaguchi in 19 meetings.

She had last beaten the Japanese at the All England Championship in March this year.

“I have really worked hard for this and it is not over it. For me it’s time to go back, relax and get ready for the next match. I’m happy but I need to prepare for the next match,” said Sindhu.

Tai Tzu Ying edged out Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon 14-21 21-18 21-18 in another quarterfinal match. China’’s Chen Yu Fei and He Bing Jiao are the other two semifinalists.

The world No 1 Tai Tzu, whom coach Park Tae-sang considers as Sindhu’s biggest rival, is incidentally reaching the semifinal of a major tournament for the first time in her career. She has never won a medal at the Worlds or Olympic Games in her career. Arguably the biggest title of Tai’s career is the 2018 Asian Games gold that she won by defeating Sindhu.

Sindhu, who has lost to Tai Tzu in last three occasions, however, has managed to outwit the Taiwanese shuttler in important events such as the 2016 Rio Games, 2019 World Championships and 2018 World Tour Finals.

After their epic semi-final, Intanon had this to say about Tai: “I think Tai can handle playing under pressure. That’s why she came back in the second game. She could enjoy the match more. She was more patient and I lost one point thinking too much. Tai is stronger in her movements on court and has good handwork. I can’t predict what she’s going to do.”

Sindhu has a stellar record at the Major events too, winning two bronze, two silver and one gold at the World Championships. She has already clinched the Olympic Games silver, during which she overcame Tai in the quarterfinal.

Among the 18 matches the two have played on BWF tour, nine matches have gone the distance and needed three games. It is closer in recent times with four out of the five matches going to three games, including their only match in 2021.