BADMINTON
Tai too strong for Sindhu and takes Hong Kong Open
Tai Tzu-ying won the women's singles at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, dashing P.V. Sindhu's hopes of back-to-back superseries titles.
Tai prevails
World No.3 Tai Tzu-ying won the women's singles at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, dashing P.V. Sindhu's hopes of back-to-back superseries titles and avenging her loss to the Olympic silver medallist in Rio.
Sindhu, fresh from winning the China Open in Fuzhou last week, looked hesitant as she struggled to match the pace of the Taiwanese player, who unleashed a mix of well-timed lobs and drop shots in her 21-15, 21-17 win.
“It was a good game overall, but it was her day. I'll go back and train hard”, a gracious Sindhu said aftewards.
Setting the pace
Tai cruised through the first game with relative ease, remaining cool as she controlled the contest's tempo and placement of the shuttlecock. Sindhu rallied in the second but was unable to establish a rhythm as her opponent pulled away in the latter half of the game.
The 22-year-old was patient during longer rallies, with her opponent struggling to reach shots and keep the shuttlecock in play. “I like to be easy during my matches. I don't like to put too much pressure on myself”, said Tai, who booked her ticket to the final a day earlier by beating Rio gold medallist Carolina Marín.
Home soil-win
In the men's event, Hong Kong's Angus Ng nabbed his first superseries title after battling through a tough three-game scrap with India's Sameer Verma in front of a packed house. The hometown favourite put on an aggressive display early with repeated whipping overheads and down-the-line winners, chalking up a 21-14 win in the first game.
But the 43rd ranked Verma fought back with the relentless hustle of an underdog with nothing to lose in the second, as Ng appeared to falter under the pressure. The 14th ranked Ng later regained composure in the third as his opponent struggled with unforced errors and lengthy rallies at the net that saw Verma grow visibly frustrated.
“When I was younger I dreamed of playing in the finals of the Hong Kong Open in the future,' said Ng.
Verma meanwhile, was humble in defeat, saying, “I was a little bit nervous; to be honest I didn't expect to reach the final”.