Following a challenging period after her world title win, star Indian player PV Sindhu is determined to reverse her current slump as she enters the season-closing BWF World Tour Finals this Wednesday.
Enduring a difficult patch since claiming the world championship gold, ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu would be eager to turn her fortunes around when she starts her title struggle at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals on Wednesday.
Sindhu reached the pinnacle of her career in August with a victory at the World Championship in Basel, Switzerland, but she has struggled to maintain that momentum. The Olympic silver medalist, who performed well at the Indonesia Open Super 750 in July, faced a string of disappointments, including immediate exits in the first round of the Korea Open and Fuzhou China Open, as well as second-round losses at the Denmark Open Super 750, Hong Kong Open Super 500, and China Open Super 1000.
Her only significant progress recently was reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. Under normal circumstances, the BWF World Tour Finals are reserved for the top eight players in the Race to Guangzhou; however, despite finishing the season 15th, Sindhu qualified for the women's singles event thanks to her status as the world champion.
Despite her recent dip in performance, Sindhu remains a focal point of the tournament because of her history of delivering under pressure in major championships. To ensure she was in peak physical condition for the finals, she took some time off following the Hong Kong Open—a tournament where she has previously reached the finals in both 2017 and 2018.
For this edition, PV Sindhu is placed in Group A, where she will face Japan's Yamaguchi and China's He Bing Jiao and Chen Yu Fei. Meanwhile, Group B consists of the remaining four athletes: Ratchanok and Busanan Ongbamrungphan from Thailand, Okuhara from Japan, and a representative from Taiwan.
Sindhu's first match will be against Akane Yamaguchi. While Yamaguchi won two titles earlier this year, a hip injury led to four consecutive first-round losses. However, the Japanese star seems to be recovering her form, having recently reached the semifinals of the Hong Kong Open, French Open, and Korea Masters.
Currently ranked world No. 6, the Indian athlete holds a strong overall head-to-head record of 10-6 against Yamaguchi, although she has lost their last two encounters.
Sindhu also fares well against Chinese opponents with a 6-3 record, but Chen Yu Fei is currently a formidable opponent, having dominated the season with six final victories, including a win at the All England Championships.