After a 55-minute pulsating battle against 2012 London Games silver medallist Yihan Wang, PV Sindhu has put India on the verge of winning a big medal here.
The 22-20 21-19 win on Tuesday night meant that the world No. 10 Sindhu will now take on Japan's world No. 6 Nozomi Okuhara in the badminton women's singles semifinal on Thursday morning (Thursday 7.30pm IST) after the last-four clash between China's Li Xuerui and Spain's Carolina Marin.
Sindhu's match against world No. 2 Wang was contested in such fierce manner that the entire crowd at the Riocentro was on its toes for most of the time. Much before winning the match, Sindhu's athleticism and skill won over the huge crowd present.
And, that did the trick during crucial points as loud cheers did affect Wang's concentration on several occasions.
With both games being taken to the wire by sheer grit of both players, it was Sindhu who dominated for most of the match with her powerful smashes and fine net dribble. It was particularly pleasing to see Sindhu taking most of the points at the net, which otherwise has always been regarded as her weakness.
Yihan has been one of the top players on the women's circuit for the last eight years and looked sharp to begin with. She looked in complete control to start with before Sindhu bounced after the mini break to take lead for the first time at 15-14.
Sindhu let go three game points in the first game which was full of tension for both sides. Though she lost a long 45-shot rally lasting 46 seconds, she managed to clinch the first game 22-20 after 29 minutes of hard fight.
The crowd went berserk and Sindhu looked to be pumped up for the second game.
Sindhu seized control of the second from the word go. In fact, it was the Chinese who was looking more tired than the Indian. Sindhu raced to a 8-4 lead and then was up 18-13. Another lapse of concentration on the part of the Indian again allowed Wang to level scores at 19-19.
However, Sindhu reclaimed her nerves to win the next two points to clinch the match 22-20 21-19 and enter the last four in her maiden Olympic appearance.
"I was expecting long rallies. I was prepared for a long and tough match. She played brilliantly as she has always been. It's just that I managed to come on top today," said Sindhu after the match
The 28-year-old Wang, on the other side, dropped a hint about her retirement. When asked if this was her last international outing, Yihan replied with a smile: "May be".
However, she praised Sindhu for keeping nerves at the crucial points. "My opponent played better. Actually, even though I lost, it wasn't a bad experience. The match was very close. Maybe I didn't take the right decisions at the last moment. I made some mistakes at the end," was how she summed up the game.
Gold or bronze?
Sindhu now looks set to win a big medal for India as she will be facing Japan's Nozomi Okuhara for a place in the final.
Sindhu must be relieved to see world No. 4 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand being knocked out from the same side of the draw. Though Nozomi has the edge over Sindhu, leading 3-1 in head-to-head, but the way the 21-year-old Hyderabadi played against Wang, she will start favourite after finding rhythm at the perfect time.
Sindhu's only win against Nozomi came in 2012 at the Asia Youth Under-19 championships. Though, all the matches between the two, four in all, were decided in three games.
Sindhu's best chance to get medal here is by beating Nozomi, because if she loses then he will have to face either world No. 1 Carolina Marin or No. 3 Li Xuerui in the bronze play-off.
