K. Polikarpova Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

In her opening match of Group J in the women’s singles competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, silver medalist PV Sindhu defeated Israel’s K. Polikarpova 21-7, 21-10.

PV Sindhu, the reigning badminton world champion, started out with a 0-2 deficit. However, after she found her rhythm, she began to rack up victories with her regular cross-court shots.

One point, the Indian badminton star won 13 in a row, giving herself a commanding advantage. Despite losing two points while led 19-5, PV Sindhu finished out the first game in just over 13 minutes.

K. Polikarpova Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

PV is the sixth best seed. Sindhu continued her aggressive play into the second set, this time building an 11-4 lead at the game’s midpoint by effectively utilising her backhand and ending rallies fast.

The Indian sensation was just as impressive in the longer rallies, giving K. Polikarpova the runaround by circling the net with the shuttles and then smashing the ball home.

Many Mistakes of K. Polikarpova

The 58th-ranked K. Polikarpova struggled due to her many mistakes, and PV Sindhu won in just 29 minutes.

“World No. 7 PV said, “Even though my opponent was lower in the rankings, I didn’t want to presume that it would be easy.” When asked by the Badminton World Federation, Sindhu revealed the following. Maintaining concentration is crucial. I organised some rallies so that we could get used to playing on the court.

“You can’t just start using a new stroke against a more experienced opponent; instead, you need to work on developing a feel for it on the court. Knowing that your strokes are effective is crucial.”

Final Words

The next time we see PV Sindhu in action, it will be against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong on or around July 28.

“Every game matters, and we’re taking it one match at a time. The Indian mused, “I’m thinking about my next opponent.”