Sindhu advanced to the semis of Hong Kong Open. File Pic[/caption]Internet Desk: Newly-crowned China Open champion P V Sindhu won a tough three-set 21-17, 21-23, 21-18 battle to defeat Xiaoyu Liang of Singapore and enter the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open badminton tournament on Friday.
In a match that stretched to one hour and 19 minutes, the Olympic Games silver-medallist had a slow start, trailing the Singaporean 4-7 in the first game. She soon bridged the gap and zoomed ahead to take the first game 21-17.
The second game was evenly contested with both of them refusing to buckle under pressure. After a thrilling battle, Liang managed to grab the game and push the match to the decider.
Sindhu, who won the China Open last week, dug up her reserves to finish the match 21-18 and book her place in the last four.
Another good news for Sindhu is riding on her maiden Super Series Premier title at the China Open she entered the top 10 but Saina Nehwal crashed out of the elite bracket in the latest BWF world ranking.
Sindhu, who clinched the China Open last week, jumped two places to grab the ninth spot, while former World No. 1 Saina, who is on a comeback trail after recovering from a serious injury, slipped five places to 11th spot, owing to her first round exit at China Open.
In the Destinational Dubai ranking for the BWF Super Series Final, Sindhu (38,490) is ahead of Saina (38,080) by a few points and their performance at the ongoing Hong Kong Open will determine who qualifies for the prestigious tournament next month.
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