GuangzhoWorld Tour Finals
u, Dec 14:
Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu continued her unbeaten run while debutant Sameer Verma also qualified for the knockout stage with a straight-game win in his last group B match at the BWF World Tour Finals, here Friday.
Playing her third successive year-ending finale, Sindhu dished out some deceptive strokes and showed precision during the 35-minute contest to prevail over world no 12 Beiwen Zhang 21-9 21-15 in a one-sided women’s singles contest to top Group A.
On the adjacent court, 24-year-old Sameer showed great athleticism and produced a masterful performance to demolish Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen 21-9 21-18 in a match that clocked 44 minutes.
After losing the opening match to world no 1 and world champion Kento Momota, Sameer, who qualified for the tournament after defending his title at Syed Modi International last month, recovered well to come up trumps against his other two opponents in Group B.
He will now face All England champion and World championship silver medallist Shi Yuqi of China in the semifinals.
The Indian managed a 11-9 advantage at the interval after Zhang went long again.
The Indian extended her lead to 16-12 after the breather even as Zhang showed signs of frustration, dropping her racquet or breaking into a sheepish smile after missing chances.
Sindhu continued to control the rallies and went to 20-12 when Zhang hit net twice.
The Indian committed three unforced errors before sealing the contest, following her opponent’s miscued shot which went long. (PTI)
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