Shuttler Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has raised the expectations of India high, after she won against London Games silver medallist and World no. 2 Wang Yihan of China. Sindhu stands just a win away from assuring India a medal at the Rio.
The two-time World Championship bronze medallist Sindhu,dished out the more experienced Wang by 22-20 21-19 in a steaming battle which lasted 54 minutes.
The 21-year-old Indian is now second Indian badminton player to reach an Olympic semifinal after Saina Nehwal did it four years ago. She trains at Hyderabad’s Gopichand Badminton Academy.
Sindhu will face the winners of the last quarterfinal between Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara on August 18 for a place in the gold medal encounter.
Sindhu and Srikanth, who made it to the men’s singles quarters, are the only two medal contenders left in the badminton competition after the shock elimination of last Games bronze medallist and former world no. 1 Saina Nehwal two days ago.
Twitteratis and the Who’s Who of sports wished for her quest:
Go Indiaa go. Well done @Pvsindhu1 . Badminton should've been at the start of the Olympic schedule. It could've fired up all our athletes.
— Parupalli Kashyap (@parupallik) August 17, 2016