World champion P.V. Sindhu was on Friday ousted from the All England Championship after being outlasted by a determined Nozomi Okuhara of Japan who rallied her way to a thrilling three-game win in the quarterfinals.
The 24-year-old Indian squandered a sparkling start as Okuhara produced a rearguard action to overcome Sindhu 12-21, 21-15, 21-13 in a 68-minute last-eight encounter at the Arena Birmingham. Sindhu’s defeat ended India’s campaign at the Super 1000 tournament.
Sindhu had come into the match with a 9-7 head-to-head record against Okuhara, having demolished the Japanese in the finals of the 2019 World Championships.
The Indian began the contest with the same intensity, quickly moving to a 3-0 lead and swelling the advantage to 7-2 with a precise shot at the backline.
The Japanese narrowed the gap to 5-8 before Sindhu unleashed a shot at the back and grabbed another point when Okuhara found the net.
Sindhu entered the break with a five-point cushion. The Indian continued to dominate the proceedings after the breather, putting her opponent under pressure and gathering points at will.
Pulling ahead
Okuhara won a few points with her straight and cross-court smashes, but those were too few as Sindhu zoomed to 18-9.
With Okuhara’s weak returns going to the net, Sindhu had a massive 20-11 advantage. The Indian quickly sealed the opening game when Okuhara erred again.
After the change of sides, Okuhara showed more intent, employing a low service and tried to put Sindhu on the back foot. It worked as she took a 5-2 lead. The Japanese engaged Sindhu in fierce rallies and forced her to make errors to lead 7-3.
A couple of unforced errors from Okuhara helped Sindhu to narrow the gap. A cross-court shot and return of serve helped Sindhu keep it to 8-10 before Okuhara entered the mid-game interval with a three-point lead.
Okuhara didn’t let the momentum slip after the break as Sindhu failed to keep pace in the rallies. The result was that the Japanese jumped to a 16-9 lead in no time.
With Sindhu going long twice, Okuhara led 18-10 and soon roared back into the contest when the Indian found the net after saving three game points.
In the decider, Okuhara continued to dictate the pace of the rallies, leading 5-2 early on. The Japanese didn’t allow Sindhu to attack, reducing the Indian to playing the retrieving game.
Stunning return
A stunning return to Sindhu’s forehand gave Okuhara an 8-3 lead. The lightning-quick Okuhara left Sindhu frustrated with her speed and placement as she grabbed an 11-5 advantage at the interval.
Errors continued to pile up for the Indian as Okuhara pulled away to a 16-7 lead. Sindhu missed the lines and found the net too often, allowing Okuhara to move to 19-11. The Japanese sealed the match when Sindhu committed another error.
On Thursday, Sindhu had cruised into the quarterfinals with a 21-19, 21-15 win over Sung Ji Hyun of Korea.
In women’s doubles second round, Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy came up short against Japan’s Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi, losing 13-21, 14-21.
P. Kashyap retired from his first-round contest against Shesar Hiren Rhustavito while trailing 0-3.
