1.10 pm: Sindhu’s game started to click again towards the end of this much but by then the damage was done. A 5th straight semifinal defeat on the tour for the Indian. But how good is it to see Intanon back and smiling and in a final again. Her first of the year.
Here’s how the third game panned out:
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 14-21 Ratchanok Intaonon: ONE OF THE LOUDEST ROARS OF THE DAY! Ratchanok is back... she is back in the big time! A delightful slice winner and she screams in delight. The run of semifinal defeats continues for PV Sindhu.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 13-20 Ratchanok Intaonon: Seven match points May.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 13-19 Ratchanok Intaonon: May now two points away, as she pounces on a weak forehand from Sindhu.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 13-18 Ratchanok Intanon: If there was subtitles for this match, that net error from Sindhu would have read “URGGHHH!” May gets the serve back and moves ahead again with a body smash.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 13-16 Ratchanok Intanon: Couple of points on serve, a mini punch of the fists. More purpose from Sindhu... and next point, a delightful forehand crosscourt reflex winner from Sindhu leaves May on the court. Decent run this for the Indian.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 10-16 Ratchanok Intanon: May misses a straight smash and it is probably now or never for Sindhu.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 9-15 Ratchanok Intanon: Good couple of points for Sindhu, she is playing better at the moment but the lead could be too much to get back. A rare roar from May as she wins another short-ish point. Not many rallies at the moment.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 7-14 Ratchanok Intanon: Oh dear, Sindhu misses a rather straightforward net kill after constructing a good point. This is bad news for the Indian. Good service return to get the serve back.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 6-13 Ratchanok Intanon: Sindhu back on the near side now and she starts off with a lovely round-the-head-winner. Run of points? Nope, May gets the serve right back. And then another error and a shake of the head from Sindhu.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 5-11 Ratchanok Intanon: Errors from both players and May stays in the lead... make it 5 points now as Sindhu misses a backhand. The quality has dipped. May then sees a clear land in and it is a huge lead for the Thai at the change of ends.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 4-8 Ratchanok Intanon: Another solid early lead for Intanon and Sindhu is missing the lines going for the kill. But she is trying to force the pace at least.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 4-6 Ratchanok Intanon: Sindhu with a couple of mini roars there, that is good to see. She is still in this. Brilliant crosscourt winner from the Thai next. A challenge from Sindhu next point and it is again oh-so-close wide!
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21, 2-3 Ratchanok Intanon: Not sure the end she was playing from made a big difference but Sindhu will want an early advantage as she is going to finish from the near side. She takes the first 2 points, but gives up the next three.. the third, a missed smash. IF we are to read the signs, it doesn’t look great for the Indian.
Not a pretty picture for Sindhu in the second game as Intanon blitzes her way to a decider.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-21 Ratchanok Intanon: Well, that was convincing and then some from the Thai star. She put the pressure early on Sindhu and never looked back. In the second half of that game, it felt like Sindhu was conserving for the decider.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-20 Ratchanok Intanon: May gets the serve right back. And then another error from Sindhu, 11 game points.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 9-18 Ratchanok Intanon: No reaction from Sindhu as she finds the back-line with a superb clear. It might be a case of finding some momentum towards the decider here.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 8-17 Ratchanok Intanon: Sindhu’s game has fallen off a small cliff at the moment. All the pressure coming from May. Errors piling for Indian. Decider imminent.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 8-14 Ratchanok Intanon: Sindhu challenges a call on the back-line and it is oh-so-close to be out. May gets the point but gives the serve back now. Sindhu is unable to put together a run of points, gives the serve right back after a super service return from MAy. And the Thai finds the back-line again next point! Big lead here.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 7-11 Ratchanok Intanon: Now May’s turn to miss the lines on either side of the court and Sindhu closes the gap down a bit. But the Thai with another superb down the line smash for the lead at interval. The second seed is controlling the tempo, going for the lines, missing some but finding a lot... good stuff from her. Sindhu has to find solutions here.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 5-10 Ratchanok Intanon: May increases the lead by four points again... and makes it 5 with a superb smash down the line. She is in the zone at the moment.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 5-7 Ratchanok Intanon: Good work from Sindhu at the net and she closes the gap down to two points.
PV Sindhu 21-15, 3-7 Ratchanok Intanon: At least a couple of points where Sindhu has missed her downward shots by quite some distance! Errors creeping in now. May is playing at a much quicker pace and keep the rallies flat as much as possible.
(Score correction) PV Sindhu 21-15, 2-4 Ratchanok Intanon: Despite seeing her lead reduced several times, the Indian consistently stays in front and converts the first of her 5 game points as Intanon goes long. Can she close this out now? Points exchanged early on in the second game but May has a 4-2 lead now. The last 6 meetings between them have been decided in straight games. Sindhu takes the lead.
This is how the first game panned out:
PV Sindhu 21-15 Ratchanok Intanon: FIRST GAME PV SINDHU! May sends a clear long and wide as Sindhu sees it outside carefully. Seventeen minutes in and she has the lead.
PV Sindhu 20-15 Ratchanok Intanon: Five game points Sindhu as May sends a punch clear long.
PV Sindhu 19-14 Ratchanok Intanon: Sindhu stays in the point with a brilliant backhand defensive block and earns that point from a May error. Handy lead here.
PV Sindhu 17-13 Ratchanok Intanon: Oh boy, a tame service return from Sindhu goes well wide. Two-point game now, and then she plays another delightful around-the-head slice crosscourt winner. That was so good to watch. May goes for a fancy drop from the backcourt but nets it.
PV Sindhu 15-11 Ratchanok Intanon: Good defence from Sindhu helps her take a 4-point lead. She gives the serve back but gets it again with a brilliant crosscourt backhand block for a winner.
PV Sindhu 13-10 Ratchanok Intanon: Points exchanged after the break... lucky net chord for May, followed by a lovely around-the-head slice from Sindhu. The Thai then misses a simple backhand. Sindhu keeping her nose ahead.
PV Sindhu 11-9 Ratchanok Intanon: A service error from May and this gives Sindhu the lead at the interval. Time for some advice from coach Park Tae Sang. Intanon has played the prettier badminton so far but Sindhu more efficient.
PV Sindhu 10-9 Ratchanok Intanon: Sindhu with another good set of points here. She is playing a clean game, moving May to all corners of the court. The Thai then plays two delicious winners to the front and back courts to reducee the deficit once more. A great rally next, and it goes the Thai’s way as well on the back of a superb drop shot. Longest rally yet, 29 shots.
She has had a tough time since Tokyo (lost her mother, had injury, lost a lot of weight), it is so good to see Ratchanok Intanon in the semifinal here and dancing around the court like she does. At her best, one of the most enthralling shuttlers to watch.
PV Sindhu 8-3 Ratchanok Intanon: There are few shuttlers in the world with a touch silkier than Intanon. She gets a superb crosscourt net shot right. And then Sindhu with a good series of points, she is overpowering May in slightly longer rallies here.
PV Sindhu 4-1 Ratchanok Intanon: A run of 4 straight points for Sindhu after May started with a point on serve. Errors from the Thai shuttler in the early stages.
PV Sindhu 0-0 Ratchanok Intanon: Here we go. May to serve.
Warmups done. Players are ready. This is how they got to the final. Sindhu has been tested quite a bit this week in Bali.
12.00 noon: Time for the semifinals. Intanon has the better H2H against Sindhu and has also won both the meetings earlier this year in January. But she is still finding her way back to form after a tough time post Tokyo 2020. Sindhu has a bit more match time behind her. This should be a great battle.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Indonesia Open badminton tournament. The prestigious event is in the final stages and in the semi-finals we have two former world champions battle it out: Reigning world champion PV Sindhu vs former world champion Ratchanok Intanon (May, for easier blogging purposes).
Stay tuned for all the updates from the women’s singles last four clash at the Super 1000 event. The winner will face Korea’s red-hot An Seyoung in the final.