Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has reached the pre-quarterfinals of the women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics. In her second Group J match, Sindhu defeated Hong Kong's Ngan Yi Cheung 21-9, 21-16 in 35 minutes. Sindhu's road to the knockout rounds could be tough. Let us know which players Sindhu may have to face next and what is Sindhu's record against her.
World No. 7 player PV Sindhu will take on Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt in the pre-quarterfinals. Sindhu has a good overall record against Blichfelt. There have been 5 matches between the two players so far. Of these, Sindhu has won 4. However, the Danish player, who is ranked 12th in the world rankings, has improved a lot in his game recently.
In two clashes between the two this year, Sindhu and Blichfeldt won 1 in 1 and Blichfeldt. Blichfeldt defeated Sindhu 16-21, 26-24, 21-13 at the Thailand Open on 12 January. However, on March 6, Sindhu defeated Blichfeldt 22-20, 21-10 in the semi-finals of the Swiss Open.
If Sindhu manages to secure a win against Blichfeldt, she could face world No.5 Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-finals. Sindhu's overall record against Yamaguchi is 11-7. However, in the last three matches between the two players, Yamaguchi has won two.
The last match between the two took place on 19 March at the All England Championship. In this, Sindhu won 16-21, 21-16, 21-19. Earlier, Sindhu and Yamaguchi had faced each other thrice in 2019. In all three, the Japanese player had won. Yamaguchi could also benefit from home conditions.
If Sindhu reaches the last four, she may face the challenge of world number-1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Sindhu has played 18 matches so far against Tai Tzu. In this, they have won only 5. Tai Tzu has defeated Sindhu in three of the last four matches. The good thing for Sindhu is that she defeated Tai Tzu Ying 21-13, 21-15 at the Rio Olympics.
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