P V Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, advanced to the second round of the women’s singles competition at the All England Championships after her opponent, Yvonne Li of Germany, retired following the completion of the first game on Tuesday.
Sindhu, ranked World No. 11 and a former world champion, comfortably won the first game 21-10, prompting Li, ranked World No. 26, to retire from the match.
The 28-year-old athlete from Hyderabad will now face top-seeded Korean An Se Young in the next round. An Se Young has been Sindhu’s tough opponent, defeating her in all six of their previous encounters in international badminton. Notably, Sindhu has managed to win only one game against the World No. 1 Korean, which occurred during their last meeting at the Asia Championships in Dubai last year.
P V Sindhu advances to second round after Li retires
P.V Sindhu cruises into Pre-QF of prestigious All England Championships.
— India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) March 12, 2024
Sindhu won the 1st game of R! match 21-10; her opponent WR 26 Yvonne Li retired after that due to injury. #YAE24 pic.twitter.com/5sCz9ovNwa
An Se Young, who is currently recovering from a right knee injury, recently clinched her second title of the season at the French Open.
During the match between Sindhu and Li, both players initially seemed evenly matched with a score of 4-4, but Sindhu quickly pulled ahead to lead 11-7 at the break. She maintained her dominance and comfortably secured the first game.
Ultimately, Sindhu’s superior performance led to her winning the game, as Li’s flick serve landed in the net, giving Sindhu 11 game points which she converted as Li hit a shot long.
