PV Sindhu cruises past Hooda to reach Syed Modi final

Lucknow: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu cruised into the women's singles final with a dominating straight-game win over fellow Indian Unnati Hooda at the Syed Modi International Super 300 badminton tournament here on Saturday.

Top seed Sindhu outclassed the 17-year-old Hooda 21-12 21-9 in just 36 minutes in the semifinal.

Hooda struggled to challenge Sindhu, committing a series of unforced errors that allowed her illustrious opponent to maintain control throughout the match.

"I am happy with today's performance. From the beginning, I maintained the lead. I was just trying out a few strokes and overall, I was confident with the way I was playing," Sindhu said after the match.

"I think Unnati played her best, but I didn't give her a chance to overtake me. I was leading from the beginning to the end. She is an upcoming player, and I wish her all the very best.

"I need to go back and prepare for tomorrow because it's not going to be easy. From the beginning, I need to give my best," Sindhu added.

A former world champion, Sindhu, currently ranked 18th, will face either Thailand's Lalinrat Chaiwan or China's Wu Luo Yu in the final as she chases her third Syed Modi International title.

Earlier, India's mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila advanced to the final with a convincing straight-game victory over China's Zhi Hong Zhou and Jia Yi Yang.

The fifth-seeded Indians secured a 21-16, 21-15 win in the 42-minute semifinal. They will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Chinese duo of Pin Yi Liao and Ke Xin Huang and Thailand's sixth-seeded pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.

Sindhu's semifinal contest saw her gradually take control as she moved to a 5-3 lead with a precise cross-court drop shot, while Hooda initially kept pace with well-placed pushes and drops.

However, the 17-year-old's errors, particularly in the length of her lifts, allowed Sindhu to lead 11-8 at the break.

Hooda's determination to stay in rallies often resulted in smashes and drops going wide.

Sindhu extended her lead to 15-8 without relying on her trademark baseline smashes. Unforced errors continued to plague Hooda, enabling Sindhu to close out the first game comfortably.

After the change of sides, Sindhu continued to dominate the proceedings, surging to 8-3 lead before extending it to 11-4 at the interval.

She continued her aggressive play with a smash, an overhead cross-court drop, and a body smash, taking the score to 18-7.

Hooda saved one of Sindhu's 12 match points but ultimately faltered with another error, handing Sindhu the match.

Reflecting further on her game, Sindhu said: "I am definitely happy with the way I am going. Definitely, there is a scope for a lot of improvement... it’s not just that if we finish training or if we are at the top, we don’t have to train. Every day is a new process, and I am doing that.”

Addressing her recent struggles, including her Paris Olympics campaign, Sindhu said, "I know Paris was not a good one for me. I have tried my best, but it doesn’t matter. I need to get back stronger. So, I am working on myself." Sindhu, who has been working with coaches Anup Sridhar and Korea's Lee Hyun-il, also spoke about adapting her fitness regimen.

"Every athlete has a different style of fitness. You keep growing, and at the same time, your movements need to be perfect. Maybe back in my twenties, the training program might have been different. Now, it’s completely different. It depends on age, how I am playing, and my movements. Accordingly, we keep changing it."