FUZHOU, Nov 19: Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu is just one step away from clinching her maiden Super Series Premier title as she reached the finals of the China Open after registering a come from behind win over Korea Sung Ji Hyun at the USD 700,000 tournament here today.
Seventh seed Sindhu edged out Ji Hyun, seeded sixth, 11-21 23-21 21-19 in a thrilling contest that lasted an hour and 24 minutes here. This was Sindhu�s sixth win over Ji Hyun in nine encounter.
The two-time bronze medallist at World Championship, Sindhu will lock horns with local favourite Sun Yu, seeded eighth, in the summit clash tomorrow.
Sindhu was up for a shock in the opening game as she just couldn�t match up with the Korean, who dominated the game all throughout after opening a 5-1 lead early on. Ji Hyun kept extending her lead and eventually pocketed the game comfortably.
A jolted Sindhu then came up with a much improved performance in the second game as she locked herself in a battle of supremacy with Ji Hyun, moving neck and neck till 7-7. The Korean changed gears and entered the break with a 11-7 lead.
After the breather, Sindhu erased the deficit with four points but Ji Hyun again managed to march ahead and grab three match points at 20-17. Sindhu saved two match points with some gritty strokes, including an angled drop shot before drawing level. She reached a game point but wasted it before she sealed a long rally with a powerful smash to roar back into the match. � PTI
