Sindhu faces tough challenge at World Tour Finals

Bangkok - Sindhu has been clubbed in Group ‘B’ alongside top-ranked Tai Tzu Ying and home favourites Ratchanok Intanon and Pornpawee Chochuwong

Premier Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth need to shrug off the disappointments of the last two weeks as they gear up for the highly-competitive HSBC BWF World Tour Finals, beginning in Bangkok on Wednesday.

World champion and Olympic silver medallist Sindhu, who had won the prestigious title in 2018, has been clubbed in Group ‘B’ alongside top-ranked Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei and home favourites Ratchanok Intanon and Pornpawee Chochuwong.

Sindhu’s comeback to international badminton after the coronavirus-induced break was not as good as she would have expected.

The Indian, who was training in London for a few months, couldn’t go the distance after losing a close opening match in Thailand Open, the first of the Asia leg.

In the second event last week, Sindhu suffered a demoralising straight game defeat against former world champion Ratchanok in the quarterfinals and she will have to gather herself as she opens her campaign against magician Tzu Ying, who reached the finals in both the Thailand Opens.

Former world number one Srikanth, on the other hand, has been clubbed in Group ‘B’ with Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei and Hong Kong’s NG Ka Long Angus.

Placed 17th in the Road to Bangkok Final ranking after the first event, Sindhu jumped to number 10 after a quarterfinal finish last week and qualified for the season finale due to two rules laid down by the BWF.

Sindhu has a dismal 5-15 record against Tzu Ying, who beat the Indian in their last two meetings, while Ratchanok humiliated her last week in a lop-sided quarterfinal to enjoy a 5-4 record.

Against Pornpawee, her third opponent in the group, Sindhu has a 3-1 record but the Thai had defeated the Indian in their last clash in 2019.