Steely Sindhu Comes Through! – Day 3: YONEX All England Open 2018
Pusarla V Sindhu – who has been on the losing end of so many massive matches – got the job done this afternoon in another epic against Nozomi Okuhara on one of badminton’s biggest stages.
· GAYLE ALLEYNE
Bidding for a place in the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2018 semi-finals, the pride of India held her nerves and trusted her
instincts to again claw back from 12-16 adrift in the third game of a cracking nail-biter. From this position of near desperation, a combination of gutsy shots and errors from her opponent saw Pusarla draw level and then hold firm – resisting all that the diminutive Japanese threw at her – to snatch two match points, with a crouching, round-the-head that nestled in Okuhara’s back court.
Unlike previous occasions – when she has been agonisingly close to big victories – the 22-year-old did not flinch, duelling doggedly with the World champion who was still searching for her best form in the aftermath of a lengthy injury lay-off. Suddenly, Pusarla surprised her rival with an angled push that caressed the sideline as she punched the air in celebration.