China Open: PV Sindhu continues revival with gutsy win; Ayush Shetty stuns world no

NEW DELHI: PV Sindhu’s impressive revival continued at the China Open on Wednesday as the two-time Olympic medalist battled up-and-coming Indian teenager Unnati Hooda to book a place in the second round, while Ayush Shetty stole the show with a stunning upset of world number one Alwi Farhan.Just days after ending a two-year title drought with victory at the Japan Open, Sindhu showed grit and poise to overcome a spirited challenge from 18-year-old Unnati 21-14, 9-21, 21-10 in a 56-minute women’s singles clash at the BWF Super 1000 tournament.The victory extends Sindhu’s winning streak as the former world champion continues to rediscover her best form ahead of the crucial stretch of the international season.

Sindhu survives Unnati’s spirited challenge

The opening game was very close and Unnati matched Sindhu point for point until 7-7. The experienced Indian then kicked into gear, reeling off five consecutive points to build a commanding lead before comfortably closing out the match 21-14.However, the second match belonged exclusively to the teenagers.After the score was tied at 2-2, Unnati raced to a 6-3 lead and then strung together six straight points to open up a huge 12-4 advantage. Sindhu struggled to find her rhythm as the youngster maintained complete control and cruised to a dominant 21-9 victory to force a decider.The last game showed Sindhu’s experience. After a competitive start, the 30-year-old gradually took control, extending her lead from 6-3 to 10-5 and later to 15-8 before sealing a convincing 21-10 victory.Sindhu now faces a blockbuster second-round showdown with fourth seed and home favorite Chen Yufei, whom she beat in straight games during the Japan Open semi-finals last week. However, Chen still holds a slim 8-7 head-to-head edge over the Indian star.

Ayush Shetty’s scripts are very upset

While Sindhu progressed as expected, Ayush Shetty caused one of the biggest shocks of the opening round by knocking out Indonesia’s World XI and former junior world champion Alwi Farhan.Shetty recovered from losing the opening game to record a memorable 17-21, 21-5, 21-17 victory in 57 minutes.The Indian showed remarkable composure after falling behind early on, completely dominating the second game before holding his nerve in a tight decider to complete one of the best victories of his career.The win is another major milestone for the promising youngster who continues to push himself against higher-ranked opponents on the BWF World Tour.

Mixed fortunes for India

However, India’s campaign ended for several doubles pairs.Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun suffered a 16-21, 7-21 defeat against the Chinese duo of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the men’s doubles.In the mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani lost 9-21, 16-21 to top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost 18-21, 18-21 to China’s fifth-ranked pair Guo Hui Wa and Chen Fang.