Two weeks ago, when Nozomi Okuhara and PV Sindhu took the court at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, they were, without doubt, world class, capable of winning any title at any time.
They played an epic match, where Okuhara won by the skin of her teeth. Yet, there was talk that Tai Tzu Ying was physically missing and Carolina Marin was mentally missing the zing that had made her virtually unbeatable a year earlier. Yes, there were a host of Chinese, all capable of upsetting any player on their day, but of late none has been firing like the Chinese stars of the not-too-distant past.
We have already seen a great rivalry between Carolina Marin and Sindhu. That evening in Glasgow, what we saw was the emergence of a new rivalry between the diminutive Japanese and the lanky Indian. Okuhara won in three tight games, and with it the world title.
Laying the Doubts to Rest
Marin and Sindhu have met 10 times, with Marin holding a 6-4 edge, while Sindhu and Okuhara have met eight times and are tied at 4-4. Sindhu lost the Olympic final to Marin and the World final to Okuhara. Surely, the time when the results are reversed at the big events is not far.
But surely, Sindhu must have gone back and with her coach Pullela Gopichand, analysed where that extra micro-ounce was required to go past a doughty Japanese, whose game is so different from the Indian.
And it was borne out in Seoul, where the Indian came out victorious at the Korean Open. It was another long-drawn game, and lasted an hour and 24 minutes.
Sindhu did tell the reporters that the Glasgow loss was not on her mind, but it was there in the minds of everyone else. Would Sindhu be mentally strong enough to come back from heart-breaking defeat, where she led 19-17 in the decider? She set those doubts to rest on 17 September.
A Sweet Revenge
Winning 22-20, 11-21, 20-18 in the second straight final featuring these 22-year-olds, Sindhu evened their head-to-head count to 4-4.
The 3-3 score before the Glasgow final was a period when the two were still emerging; now they are the clearly the favourites whenever they come to an event.
To some it might seem sweet revenge for the Glasgow final. Let’s admit that the Glasgow final was a bigger event than the Seoul final, but the fact that Sindhu has got over the loss is a big positive for the Indian star, who has beaten Okuhara in the semi-finals at the Rio Olympics.
I had lost to her after being 19-17 in the World Championship but I didn’t keep that in my mind even though there were long rallies. I kept telling myself next point is important. I had to control the shuttle very much, so there was nothing in my mind.PV Sindhu
Playing each point as a separate one is something that most players try to achieve, but few actually manage. It is easier said than done, is what most experienced stars will tell you.
But, if Sindhu has managed that, it is another mental victory for her. It is another bump she has crossed on her way to being a world champion, which she will surely be some day.
Being able to come back from two game points to win the first game over extra points was the first blow.
And, when she realised she was way behind in the second, when the lead became gigantic, it required all the self-confidence she had to tell herself that she ought to conserve for the decider.
Clearly, there was a drop in the second game, and Okuhara for her part was finding her own rhythm. Okuhara has always been a slow starter.
In the overall context, the first game was a neck-and-neck mind-bender, while in the second, Okuhara moved way ahead and never gave the Indian a chance.
But in the decider, Sindhu did have a 11-5 advantage, but Okuhara narrowed the gap. This time around, Sindhu managed to keep her nose ahead despite the gap coming down to 15-13, 18-16 and 20-18.
The key was Sindhu attacked way more than she did in Glasgow and put Okuhara out of her comfort zone. Okuhara, a slow starter, is very good at sending back the bird over, almost like a returning machine.
At Glasgow Gopi did admit that Sindhu could have changed tactics at certain points to unsettle Okuhara. This time it seems Sindhu and Gopi, despite the short time between the two finals, did manage to do that.
Now Sindhu may well have a better idea of how to handle Okuhara. But so would Okuhara.
A Great Rivalry in the Making
Next week at the Japan Open, it will be Okuhara’s home turf and home fans, and now it remains to be seen if Sindhu can beat her in her own backyard.
After Japan, the badminton caravan will pass through Denmark, France, China and Hong Kong, before it comes to its final halt in the Dubai Super Series final.
It is not Gopi’s style, of for that matter, even Sindhu’s style, to make big pronouncements.
But the fact is titles like All-England, where Saina Nehwal is the only woman to reach the final, the World Championships, where both Saina and Sindhu have lost once, or the Olympic final, where Sindhu lost in 2016 all figure in their goals.
In Glasgow, Gopi had remarked Sindhu has many, many years of badminton still in her. She is just 22, as is Okuhara. “It is vital to learn and keep improving and take one step at a time.”
Simple, but easier said than done. Yet, if the recent events are any indication, Gopi and Sindhu can do it. Saina’s presence at the training courts in Hyderabad will spur both and it can only do Indian badminton a world of good.
A great rivalry in the making
- Sindhu and Okuhara are both 22 years old; and they now have a 4-4 head-to-head record.
- Both Sindhu and Okuhara have Olympic and World Championship medals
- Sindhu has one silver and 2 bronze in World Championships, while Okuhara has one gold. Sindhu has an Olympic silver, while Okuhara has a bronze.
- Sindhu has 3 Super Series titles, including Korean Open 2017, while Okuhara has four, including the All-England (2016) and Dubai Super Series final (2015).
(The author can be reached at @Swinging_Swamy.)
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