Not the prettiest: PV Sindhu reflects on French Open fears in candid X post

PV Sindhu had a commanding lead in the decider only to see it all but disappear before storming through a thrilling first-round match at the French Open on Wednesday. The Indian shuttler was candid about the match afterwards, admitting that she needed to win despite a performance that took a lot of work.

Sindhu defeated Thailand’s Supanida Katethong 21-14, 8-21, 23-21 in a 64-minute battle to advance to the second round of the prestigious Super 750 tournament. After the match, she retired to X to reflect on the roller-coaster evening, acknowledging her opponent’s fight and the moments that almost cost her the match.

“Some matches you just have to find a way to win. Today was one of them,” Sindhu wrote.

The two-time Olympic medalist appeared under control in the decisive match and opened up a commanding 19:8 lead. But Katethong staged a remarkable comeback, winning 11 consecutive points to draw level at 19-19 and put Sindhu under huge pressure.

The Indian eventually held her nerve to close out the game 23-21 and avoid an early exit in Paris.

“Thank you Supanida, she made me fight for every point. I felt like I was trying to push my game but somehow things were slipping,” Sindhu wrote, adding that she will go through the shots to see what needs to be changed.

“Even that challenge at 21-20, the shuttle cut the line short! Some days God really makes you fight for it,” she wrote.

“I needed that win. End of story.”

Sindhu was also bright-eyed about the performance, describing it as “not the prettiest” and acknowledging that there was a lot to think about.

“Not the prettiest, a lot to think about, but I’m glad we’re over it. Restoration underway, another battle tomorrow.”

“One match at a time,” she said. Screengrab by X

The win sends Sindhu into the second round to face Japan’s Riko Gunji. The Indian will have to polish her game after a match in which she struggled to convert a considerable advantage into a comfortable finish.

SINDHU VS RICO Gunji

Earlier in the day, Unnati Hooda went down to Japan’s Riko Gunji 18-21, 21-12, 17-21 in a contest that lasted one hour and eight minutes.

Both Sindhu and Gunji will enter the clash in the second round after enduring three-match battles in their opening matches. However, Sindhu holds the head-to-head lead, having beaten the world number 19 twice this year, both times in straight games.

Another Indian, Tanvi Sharma, who defeated compatriot Isharani Baruah in straight games on Tuesday, will face world number one An Se Young on Thursday. Meanwhile, Ashmita Chaliha is set to take on third seed Akane Yamaguchi.

Lakshya Sen, who was due to face sixth seed Kodai Naraoka, handed his opponent a transition. The reason for Sen’s withdrawal is not yet known.

Sindhu’s win was especially important for India after the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashed out in the first round on Tuesday. The world No. 5 Indian pair fought their way into the second match against the French duo of Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov but eventually lost 19-21, 21-18, 13-21 in a match that lasted just over an hour on Tuesday.

– The end