Chengdu (China): Indian women shuttlers made it a worthwhile day for the Indian fans on Wednesday as they stunned China in their opening tie of the Badminton Asia Championship.
The Indian contingent topped the group to enter quarterfinals of the tournament. Led by returning superstar P V Sindhu, the Indian team won the tie with a score of 3-2. The 16-year-old Anmol Kharb also played a key role in the thrilling win.
Sindhu was up against Han Yue in te first match and she scored a win without breaking much sweat. Sindhyu was covering the court very well and she forced some errors form her opponent by making her play close to the net. As a result she won the first set by 21-17.
World number eight Han Yue started strongly in the second set by staying cautious and staying away from the net. She made her Indian rival work hard for her points. At the interval, she had a 11-10 lead but Sindhu used her winners to perfection latter on and won the set by 21-15 also ensuring a 1-0 lead in the tie for the Indian side.
Second fixture was the doubles match between Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto and Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning. The Indian pair fought brilliantly but they lost the match by 19-21, 16-21.
In the third fixture of the tie China’s Wang Zhi Yi outplayed Ashmita Chaliha with ease and a victory by 21-13, 21-15 for her helped the Chinese side take a lead of 2-1 in hte tie.
It was a must-win situation for the Indian pair of Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand when they were up against Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min in the fourth match of the tie. Indian pair conceded the first set by 10-21 but scripted a brilliant comeback in the next two sets.
Treesa/Gayatri started the second set aggressively and they were leading by 11-4 at the interval. Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min tried to claw their way back in the set but weren’t able to stop the Indian pair from winning it by 21-17. The Indian duo showed brilliant composure in the deciding set and won it by 21-18 to level the tie at 2–2.
Teenage sensation Anmol Kharb (472) was squaring off against a higher ranked opponent Wu Luo Yu (149). The Indian youngster toppled Chinese opponent by displaying a top-notch game.
She won the first set by 22-20, raising the hopes of the nation. However, the Chinese shuttler made a comeback in the second set by 21-14. The deciding set turned out to be a nail-biter but Anmol kept her composure when the scores were leveled at 18-18 and won three points in a row. Her shocking win helped India beat China in the Badminton Asia Championship and they booked a spot in the quarterfinals by topping the group.
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