PV Sindhu said she is not satisfied yet as she stood one win away from the BWF World Championships gold medal after storming into her third successive final in Basel on Saturday.
Sindhu, who had claimed successive silver in the last two editions of the prestigious tournament besides two bronze medals, was a picture of perfection as she outclassed world No 3 Chen Yufei of China 21-7 21-14 in a 40-minute semi-final.
“I think I went well prepared,” Sindhu after putting up a masterclass in a repeat of the 2017 World Championships semi-final. “From the start I took the lead and closed the game. In the second game, I think I made some unforced errors but then I think I took the lead and that gave me much more confidence. Overall the game went on really well and I hope it goes this way [on Sunday] as well.”
In the final, Sindhu will face Nozomi Okuhara, in what will be a a repeat of the epic 2017 World Championships final.
The Indian said she had no preference over the opponent for the final, adding, “I know anything can happen in the final. I think I just need to focus on myself and come back tomorrow and give my best.”
The 24-year-old stressed that the job was not done yet. Having won the silver twice at the Worlds and at the Olympics in 2016 (to go with her Asian Games and Commonwealth Games silver too), Sindhu has her sights on the top place in the podium.
“It’s very important to keep yourself focussed as it’s not over yet. I am happy, not satisfied yet. There is one more match to go and definitely I want to get the gold for sure. It’s not going to be easy and I will have to focus a lot and give my best in the finals,” she said.
Speaking about her performance in the match, All England champion Chen Yufei was left ruing her marathon match late on Friday when she overcame Mia Blichfeldt in three games, in a match that lasted 76 minutes.
“I wasn’t speedy, I couldn’t adjust physically, I couldn’t get my energy level up for this match as I was a bit tired after yesterday’s match. Sindhu was very speedy today and was at 100 per cent,” Chen said.
With Chen’s defeat, China’s wait for a women’s singles gold extends for six years at the World Championships.
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