Paris, August 26 (PTI) — Two-time Olympic medallist and former champion P V Sindhu displayed her class on the badminton court by overcoming a slow start to defeat Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova in straight games at the BWF World Championships on Tuesday.
Ranked world No. 15, Sindhu initially appeared tentative, but she gradually found her rhythm, increasing the pace of the match and refining her attacking plays to best the 69th-ranked Nalbantova 23-21, 21-6 in the opening round of the women’s singles competition.
The 30-year-old Indian trailed 0-4 early in the match due to a series of unforced errors, with Nalbantova seizing the momentum to take a 9-5 lead and going into the interval ahead 11-7.
However, upon returning to the court, Sindhu struck back, unleashing a series of powerful smashes, including her signature cross-court shots, to level the score at 12-12. A couple of errors by the Bulgarian handed Sindhu a slight 14-12 lead, but the game continued to be a close contest as points were exchanged in quick succession.
Nalbantova held a game point at 19-20 but missed a crucial opportunity by hitting the net at deuce. Another mistake gave Sindhu a one-point advantage, allowing Sindhu to turn the tables and clinch the first game.
In the second game, Sindhu came out with an aggressive approach, quickly surging ahead 5-1 with some sharp returns. Though Nalbantova managed to close the gap to 5-6, her unforced errors allowed Sindhu to establish control.
Sindhu went into the interval with a robust six-point lead, and from there, it was all one-way traffic. Extending her advantage to 17-5, she employed a combination of thunderous smashes and deep clears, while Nalbantova continued to stumble with misjudged line calls.
Faced with 15 match points, Sindhu briefly faltered, losing one, but promptly sealed the victory with a powerful smash, concluding the contest convincingly.
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