World Tour Finals: Sindhu beats Bingjiao for consolation win

Sindhu, whose title defence lay in tatters after her second successive loss on Thursday, scripted an incredible turnaround. After being 9-18 down in the opening game, she eventually outwit Bingjiao 21-19, 21-19. Courtesy the victory, she finished third in the group. The win also snapped Sindhu’s run of four straight losses against the Chinese, making their head-to-head record 6-9.

The Indian struggled with her precision initially, allowing Bingjiao to lead 7-3 at one stage in the first game. The left-handed Chinese cruised to a 11-6 advantage at the break, with the Indian misjudging a shuttle. Sindhu failed to reign in her errors even after the break, hitting the shuttle wide and long as Bingjiao jumped to an 18-9 lead.

However, the Indian effected a massive recovery, rattling off nine straight points to draw parity at 18-18. Bingjiao managed to break the run of points before a deceptive return to serve took the score to 19-19. The Indian then gathered the remaining two points to edge past Bingjiao in the opening game.

Sindhu carried the momentum into the second game, opening up a 7-3 cushion initially and then moving to 11-6 at the interval. Bingjiao punished two weak returns from Sindhu but then started committing unforced errors as the Indian led 15-10. The Chinese soon narrowed the gap to 16-18 before Sindhu won a point after a gruelling rally.

A good judgement at the backline earned Sindhu three match points. Bingjiao saved two but Sindhu sealed it with a smash on the third. The Indian will next be seen in the Premier Badminton League.