Badminton, Olympics 2024: India's PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy begins hunt for Olympic medal with win
Paris: India's star shuttler PV Sindhu began her quest for her third Olympic medal with a straightforward win against the Maldives' Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq in the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Sindhu displayed grit and confidence and restricted her opponent to single digits in both games. She began her campaign with a 21-9, 21-6 win in a game that lasted for 29 minutes.
In the hunt for her third Olympic medal, Sindhu didn't waste any time in establishing her dominance. She used every inch of the badminton court to her advantage and lured her opponent into playing a loose shot.
This was the second time Sindhu and Razzaq had faced each other. The Indian shuttler breezed past the Maldives shuttler in their first encounter, and once again, history repeated itself in Paris.
The first game began with both shuttlers going neck-to-neck against each other. Sindhu took a point lead, and Razzaq fought back to level the scoreline.
The trend lasted till the scoreboard read 4-4. Sindhu upped her game and went on a spree, which saw her claim ten points in a row.
Razzaq eventually managed to break Sindhu's 10-point spree, but the first game was almost out of her hands.
An angled flick from Sindhu, showcasing her class, made the scoreline 19-6 in her favour. Razzaq fought back, fighting hard for a late comeback by winning three consecutive points. An exquisite drop shot made the scoreline 19-9.
Sindhu eventually sealed the first game in 13 minutes with a scoreline of 21-9.
The second game was a similar story for the Maldives shuttler. She failed to overcome Sindhu's technical prowess.
Within a blink of an eye, the Indian shuttler clinched three consecutive points before her shot was stopped by the net.
This opened a window of opportunity for Razzaq to make a comeback and she exploited it to its best.
She won three consecutive points, making the scoreline 4-3, leaving her just a point behind Sindhu.
However, the short-lived rallies didn't do any favour for Razzaq as she eventually started to trail just like in the first set.
Razzaq's defence didn't do her any favour, allowing Sindhu to seal the match following a 21-6 win in the second game.
Meanwhile, India's HS Prannoy opened his maiden campaign in Olympics with a straight-game win over lesser-ranked Fabian Roth of Germany in men's singles competition here on Sunday.
The 32-year-old from Kerala, who was down with chikungunya for almost two weeks ahead of the Paris Games, gave a good display of fitness and showed his mettle during the 21-18 21-12 win over Roth in a 45-minute match of Group K.
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