PV Sindhu beats Japanese Saena Kawakami in straight games to reach Singapore Open final

Indian badminton superstar PV Sindhu on Saturday qualified for the Singapore Open 2022 final, after putting up an exemplary performance against Japan’s Saena Kawakami in the women's singles semi-final encounter. The two-time Olympic medallist for India defeated Kawakami comfortably by 21-15, and 21-7 scores, in what was a 31-minute one-sided clash. She will now lock horns against the winner of the second semi-final between Aya Ohori and Wang Zhi Yi later in the day. 

Meanwhile, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) took to their official Twitter handle and congratulated the former World Champion on her stupendous feat. “FINALS FOR SINDHU, @Pvsindhu1 puts up exemplary performance to comfortably beat Malaysia's S Kawakami 21-15, 21-7 in just 31 minutes and cruise through to the summit clash of #SingaporeOpen2022 Go for gold champ!”.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games finalist is now only a win away from registering her maiden Super 500 title of the 2022 season. Sindhu entered the match with a 2-0 lead over the Japanese, with their last encounter having taken place at the 2018 China Open.

A look at PV Sindhu's Singapore Open 2022 campaign

Sindhu sealed qualification for the penultimate stage of the Singapore Open 2022 on Friday after defeating China’s Han Yue by 17-21, 21-11, 21-19. On the other hand, Sindhu’s fellow Indian tennis player Saina Nehwal failed to qualify for the semis, after losing to Japan’s Aya Ohori by 21-12, 15-21, 22-20 in the quarter-final match. However, with Sindhu in the finals, India is now assured to return with a medal from the tournament. 

It is pertinent to mention that the match against Kawakami was the first semifinal entry for the World No. 7 Sindhu, since the Thailand Open in May. She now eyes a gold medal finish, before heading into the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. The CWG 2022 is scheduled to begin from July 28 at Birmingham in England and will continue till August 8.

How has PV Sindhu's 2022 season been thus far?

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist started her 2022 season by winning the Syed Modi International tournament, before going on to win 2022 Swiss Open after defeating Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan in two straight games in the final. She then won against China’s He Bingjjao in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Badminton Asia Championships, before losing against top-seed Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-final. However, she finished the Asia Championships with a bronze medal to her credit. Having said that, badminton fans in India are now awaiting for Sindhu to continue her winning momentum and win the Singapore Open 2022.

(Image: BAI_Media/Twitter)