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Simple as Swiss cheese for Sindhu

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By on China sports

Game two blitzkriegs at St Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland are commonplace for PV Sindhu.

This time, the Indian shuttle star decimated Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-16, 21-8 in the Swiss Open final on Sunday to claim her second Super 300 title of the year. She erased the painful memories of her own 21-12, 21-5 rout against Carolina Marin last year. St Jakobshalle has been Sindhu’s playground since winning the World Championships there in 2019, although it was a much reduced occasion and not a Top 10 opponent.

Such killer scores (Sindhu was 20-4 in Game 2 at one point) is what the site has been associated with given the Indian’s 21-7 thrashing against opponents in Basel there. is three years old in a field missing only Marin.

However, the 2022 Swiss Open was a fourth tier tournament (after the Super 1000s, 750s and 500s) and saw a commensurate thinning of the field, with world No. 7 Sindhu being the highest ranked player on the field, moving ahead his opponents. . Busanan was ranked No. 11. Sindhu improved their head-to-head record against the Thais to a staggering 16-1. Incidentally, she beat Busanan 21-8, 21-7 at the German Open and has one of the most uneven results against the Thai retriever.

That day, Sindhu started on an even pin in the opener until 13-13, but knew she had the threat of spooking Busanan any time she wanted to change gears. The rallies were long at mid-level, and Sindhu was steady in his recoveries for most of Game 1, before going on the offensive to conclude with a whirlwind of points. She went on the attack at will on the hapless opponent and snuck up on her in the short closing period of the former.

Game two was absurdly one-sided as Busanan were pulverized by Sindhu’s power play, in what was reminiscent of Marin’s 21-5 mayhem last year. But like a top athlete, Sindhu put those demons to rest. Smashes rained down both Busanan flanks as Sindhu rushed for his low net recoveries before finishing with kills.

It was one-way traffic, with a sense of inevitability as Sindhu made it 11-2. At 20-4, she took her foot off the pedal, took a break and then put Busanan out of her misery at 21-8.

Sindhu now has eight Super 300 (or Tier 4) titles in 23 outings in Macau, Malaysia and Switzerland. Plus one level 3 in India, two level 2 in Korea and China, in addition to his world title.

Sindhu, always a big-screen player with a reputation for challenging the best in high-level finals, has focused on smaller tournaments this season in search of titles and confidence.

Christie beats Prannoy easily

Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie completely dominated HS Prannoy in the men’s singles final, with his pinpoint accuracy and error-free controlled play to win 21-12, 21-18. The Asian Games champion used deep clearances into the back corner of Prannoy’s forehand to great effect as the Indian was busy at the baseline and deprived of his own attacking options up front.

Christie also picked up the pace when needed and had the upper hand in forecourt rallies when he varied the tempo, although Prannoy’s attack didn’t net enough points to seriously put Christie under the helm. pump.

Lifts, throws and clearances helped Christie come away 8-all in the final, her first title clash in two and a half years. Prannoy, who made a final after five seasons, couldn’t really get into the game against the disarming play of Christie, who doesn’t carry a venomous weapon, but plays a technically uncreased game in the final.

After 7 all, Prannoy caught up 13 all in game two, but Christie got away at will, this time in clean charges from the forecourt. Prannoy was a winner here in 2016 but had to settle for second place this time, despite playing a much more compact game than before.

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