Huelva: Ace shuttler PV Sindhu will seek to defend her title at the BWF World Championships in Spain, which begin on Sunday. Sindhu has been in terrific form this season, winning her second silver medal at the BWF World Tour Finals following three semi-final appearances in the French Open, Indonesia Masters, and Indonesia Open.
India’s two-time Olympic medalist will now hope to finish the season by successfully defending her maiden World Championship title, which she won in Basel, Switzerland two years ago.
With the departures of the whole Indonesian contingent and other great players, the competition has lost a lot of lusters. Saina Nehwal, the London Olympics bronze medalist, and 2015 silver medalist, will also miss the World Championships owing to numerous ailments for the first time in her career.
While Sindhu is confident in her prospects, regaining the championship will be difficult, as she still has to contend with Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, Chinese Taipei’s top seed Tai Tzu Ying, and Korea’s teen phenom An Seyoung.
An Seyoung has been in sensational form, winning back-to-back championships at the Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open before winning her first World Tour Finals title, becoming her the first woman from her nation to do so.
Sindhu, who had a first-round bye, will face Martina Repiska, whose first-round opponent Ruselli Hartawan also withdrew. If she wins, she’ll face Pornpawee Chochuwong, who has beaten the Indian twice in their previous two matches.
If Sindhu defeats the Thai, she would almost certainly face Tai Tzu, who has a 14-5 head-to-head record against her, including victories in the previous four matches.
