With a straightforward victory against world No. 19 Supanida Katethong in Odense, Denmark, on Friday, star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu advanced to the semifinals of the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament.
The two-time Olympic medalist, who has struggled with winning this season, outplayed Katethong 21-19, 21-12 in just 47 minutes, and advanced to her second semifinal in as many weeks.
Last week in Finland, she had advanced to the semifinals of the Arctic Open Super 500.
Carolina Marin of Spain, a three-time world champion, has a commanding 10-5 record against Sindhu and will now be her opponent. Due to Sindhu’s four consecutive losses to the world No. 6, it will be a difficult match.
In this competition, Sindhu hasn’t exactly had a straightforward ride; in the first two rounds, she needed three games to defeat world Nos. 28 Kristy Gilmour and 7 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.
The Indian had a 3-2 advantage over the Thai going into this match, but Sindhu would still be wounded by her losses at the 2022 and 2023 India Opens because they took place in front of her home audience.
Following the change of ends, the Thai made a couple mistakes in the forecourt, allowing Sindhu to control the game. In a flash, the Indian was leading 19–12.
To challenge Sindhu’s hegemony, the Thai played several deft strokes on the lines. The Indian also made careless mistakes as Katethong improved to 17–19.
The Indian, however, ended the comeback with a return on the line that earned him three game points and ended Katethong’s chances after he floated a cross-court wide.
In the second game, with Sindhu leading 5-1, Katethong battled with her length and threw the shuttle far and wide. Katethong was able to draw even at 5-5 thanks to two accurate returns and a fortunate net chord.
The Hyderabadi appeared more assertive since she had all of the answers to the queries thrown at her by her rival. As Katethong plunged into a pool of mistakes, particularly in her effort to go for the lines, she combined her half smashes, drives, and drops to maintain accumulating points.
The outcome was a 16-10 Indian advantage. The Thai went long once more, bringing Sindhu’s score to 18-11. For the next point, she produced a cross-court forehand, and she soon had eight match points.
