Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu of India faced a tough defeat against Spain’s Carolina Marin, the Rio 2016 champion, in the women’s singles badminton semifinals at the Denmark Open 2023. The match took place at the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense on Saturday.
Despite Sindhu’s ranking six places below world No. 6 Carolina Marin, she put up a spirited fight. The contest was intense, with Marin eventually clinching victory with a scoreline of 21-18, 19-21, 21-7 in 71 minutes. Unfortunately for Sindhu, this marked her 11th loss to Marin in their 16th head-to-head meeting.
The rivalry between these two badminton stars dates back to the Rio 2016 Olympics final, which Marin won. Sindhu’s last victory over Marin was at the Malaysia Open in 2018, and she has now extended her losing streak against the Spaniard to five matches.
The first game saw both players utilizing their reach effectively, exchanging leads before the mid-game interval. Sindhu managed to hold a slender one-point lead during most of this phase. However, Marin’s powerful smashes in the latter part of the game secured her the victory in the first set.
In the second game, Sindhu displayed renewed intensity, taking an 11-3 lead. Although Marin managed to stage a comeback with seven straight points, Sindhu’s early advantage proved decisive as she secured the second game.
Unfortunately, Sindhu ran out of steam in the decider, and Marin emerged victorious in three games.
This was Sindhu’s fifth appearance in the semifinals this season. The former world champion and two-time Olympic medalist has been in search of her first BWF title this year.
In previous rounds at the Denmark Open, Sindhu defeated Supanida Katethong of Thailand, Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland, and Indonesia’s Gregoria Tunjung.
Sindhu was the sole Indian player remaining at the Denmark Open. Indian badminton enthusiasts can look forward to seeing their players in action at the upcoming French Open 2023 Super 750 tournament in Paris.
It’s worth noting that the results of both the Denmark Open and the Paris Open will contribute to players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The qualification window for badminton began on May 1 of this year.
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