Why Round 2 is best time for PV Sindhu to beat An Se Young at All England badminton | Badminton News
A day’s extra rest and preparation. Good carry-over vibes from last week’s French Open. And nothing to lose.
It’s not exactly what aligning of stars reads like, but a second-round face-off against the unstoppable Korean An Se Young might well be the best-timed challenge for PV Sindhu. She’s not likely to be particularly exerted from her first round quick progress ahead of Thursday’s clash, and Se Young, 22, invariably gets difficult to dislodge deep into tournaments.
The Korean World No.1 is a difficult proposition for Sindhu, but viewed from the other end, Se Young will find herself up against a tough cookie in the Indian so early in the week while defending her title.
Sindhu has lost all six times they’ve played, and nicked just the one game, 21-18 off Se Young at the Asian Championship in April 2023. In fact, Se Young has won 11 off her 17 tournaments in the last year, making her extremely formidable. While a good, quick start might help, Sindhu might want to go in prepared for a tough three-game wringer, with the same fight she showed against Olympic champ Chen Yufei last week.
Se Young anticipates brilliantly at the net, and doesn’t mind the back court-front court quick shuttle, so Sindhu’s drops might get picked more often. But the deep power smashes and varying the pace whimsically can surprise the Korean who likes running away with a gush of points. Just as well, it’s early in the tournament, and Sindhu will be prepared for the running.
