New Delhi: There was pin-drop silence in the Siri Fort Indoor Stadium packed to the raptors as defending champion and favourite PV Sindhu lost a neck-and-neck final at the India Open against the underdog of the tournament — Beiwen Zhang. Every time there was a break in the match, national coach Pullela Gopichand was seen rushing towards Sindhu to have a brief chat with his ward, who was outfoxed at the net in three games.
But this wasn’t the first time Sindhu was under pressure. She has been guilty of succumbing to pressure in the dying moments of the decider on four occasions. In all fairness, the night was all about Zhang’s desire to match up to Sindhu’s level. While the fans continued to cheer for Sindhu, Zhang didn't allow the advantage play out on the court. From the quality of strokes to court-coverage, the 27-year-old was second to none. That is what makes her win in India a good underdog story.
Beiwen Zhang beat PV SIndhu in three games to win India Open 2018 title
It didn’t look like Zhang needed a coach, she prolonged the rallies with such precision and gave Sindhu a taste of her own medicine to stop the Indian from winning the title in her own den. “I know my weaknesses and I try to cover a lot. When I got a chance, I was hitting smashes. Normally, if you watch my game, I don’t really smash a lot. I played like an attacking player today,” Zhang told reporters after winning her first major BWF tournament.
The crowd went bonkers when Sindhu fought her way back into the match and were still cheering for the young Indian shuttler while she was trailing in the third game. But at the end, the pressure got to her. “I think she had more pressure and I had nothing to lose. The crowd got behind her to beat me and she took more pressure than me. She couldn’t control the pressure,” reasoned Zhang.
The 27-year-old shuttler has had a tough route to the top following the fall out with the Singapore Badminton Association that led to a move to the US a few years ago. Zhang proved to be the giant-killer after stunning Saina Nehwal 21-10, 21-13 in straight games, Cheung Ngan Yi in the semi-finals and now Sindhu in a three-game thriller.
Zhang couldn't afford to get her newly hired coach Luan Ching to India, who recently left the Singapore Badminton Association. But that hasn’t really affected her mentally. "My new coach gave me a lot of ideas. He pointed out the game clearly. So, it’s easier for me in my head what I need to do when my opponent is leading," she said.
The duo has played each other on four occasions at BWF events, with Sindhu winning three of those matches. They also played once in this season's PBL, where Sindhu was on top again. Zhang, who didn't win a single match for the Mumbai Rockets due to a foot injury, wanted to forget about her performances in the Indian league last month.
Zhang said that she was recovering from plantar fasciitis and the training with Indian physio Anand Kumar Dubey in the last four to five days helped her stay focused on the court. "I want to thank my physio I want to thank him" she said.
The physio was a part of the Mumbai Rockets support staff and had been looking after her day-to-day fitness regime since mid-December. "She trains alone but that's hardly an issue. Mentally, Zhang has been really strong and that's what mattered in the end," said Dubey.
Despite yet another loss for Sindhu in a final, the tournament was all about the underdog Zhang.
Published Date: Feb 04, 2018 23:07 PM | Updated Date: Feb 04, 2018 23:07 PM
