New Delhi: PV Sindhu cruised through her first match at the BWF World Championships, beating Sophia Noble of Ireland 21-7, 21-11 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Monday. For the biggest star of the Indian contingent, assessing the court conditions on the opening day was the main focus. The good turnout of fans warmed the heart of the two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 world champion.
“Overall, playing for the first time, it was important for me to get used to the court conditions and see how it is. That was the first thing on my mind. I think I managed it well, and the court conditions are pretty good,” said Sindhu, who will take on Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang in the second round.
Sindhu is aiming for a historic sixth World Championships medal. She won the world crown seven years ago. Although she has bounced back this season with the Japan Open title, the 31-year-old will need to bring out her best against tough opponents gunning for the title.
On Monday, Sindhu’s strokes were fluent and she looked at ease in the conditions. There was some resistance from Sophia in the second game but Sindhu soon took control of the match.
“I started off with a big lead. Even though I gave away two or three points here and there, I still maintained that lead. It was a good start for me, and I was comfortable throughout.”
It was an excellent opening day for the Indians, with all of them sailing into the second round. Ayush Shetty’s upset of Shi Yuqi will give the Indian players a lot of belief.
Sindhu took to the court after Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand defeated Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez 21-9, 21-13 in the women’s doubles first round. In the morning, the men’s doubles pair MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan also sailed through after Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds retired midway through the second game. The Indians were leading 21-16, 6-4 at that point. The second women’s doubles pair of Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi came through a tough first game to beat Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez of Spain 22-20, 21-14.
In men’s singles, Denmark’s world No. 4 and four-time World Championships medallist Anders Antonsen struggled to find rhythm before beating Dicky Dwi Pangestu of Azerbaijan 21-19, 21-17. Antonsen skipped the India Open in January, deciding not to travel due to the pollution in the Capital.
Antonsen said the badminton world body (BWF) should reschedule the India Open.
“There is a huge difference in the seasons here. I’ve come to understand that in January and February the pollution here is quite insane,” said Antonsen. “It’s not pleasant to play in. You kind of get this burning feeling in your throat, and you can see it under the lights and everything. I don’t think it’s the right decision to host the India Open at that time of the year. But right now, it’s much better. When I open the windows in the morning, I can see stuff. But if I do that in January, I can’t see the building next to me.
“So, imagine having your pulse high and trying to fight for air. It’s not a pleasant feeling. I don’t know how you guys feel about it. if I were the BWF, I would host the India Open at another time of the year,” he said.
