Double Olympic medallist and home favourite PV Sindhu kept her quest for a historic sixth World Championship medal alive, advancing to the pre-quarterfinals of the home World Championships with a dominant victory in just 35 minutes.
Taking on Canada’s World No. 49 Wen Yu Zhang in her round-of-32 match, the ace Indian shuttler wrapped up a 21-16, 21-17 victory in straight games in just 35 minutes.
Egged on by enthusiastic local support, World No. 9 Sindhu started proceedings against Zhang somewhat slowly. Early unforced errors allowed the Canadian to gain momentum and level the score at 8-8. However, Sindhu quickly countered with sharp efforts, using quick interceptions in the mid-court to hold an 11-9 cushion at the mid-game interval. Post-break, the 2026 Japan Open champion unleashed a barrage of steep cross-court smashes, driving Zhang deep to the baseline and expanding her lead to 16-11 in no time. While the Canadian mounted a late surge to close the deficit, a misdirected cross-court smash went wide, giving Sindhu game point before she wrapped up the opener with ease.
The second game saw Sindhu race to an early 5-2 lead before Zhang found her rhythm. Displaying superior deception, Zhang utilised half-smashes targeting Sindhu’s backhand and front court to edge ahead 11-9 at the interval. Refusing to go down, India’s No. 1 shuttler went on a decisive four-point spree to level the score at 15-15. Showing superior court coverage, Sindhu forced Zhang into errors and sealed the match with a thunderous cross-court smash, setting up a pre-quarterfinal clash against Chinese nemesis Wang Zhi Yi on home soil.
Wang Zhi Yi, whom she defeated at the same pre-quarterfinal stage in the previous edition of the World Championships in Paris, will present a familiar challenge for Sindhu. In their head-to-head record, the World No. 3 Wang leads 5-3, having also defeated the Indian three times this year.
Earlier in her opening encounter, Sindhu kicked off her campaign with a dominant win over Ireland’s Sophia Noble.
The post BWF World Championships: PV Sindhu Storms Into Pre-Quarterfinals, Faces Wang Zhi Yi for Sixth Medal appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
