Sindhu enters back-to-back finals

SAARBRUCKEN (GERMANY): Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu stormed into her second final in as many weeks with a straight-game win over compatriot Anmol Kharb in the women's semifinals of the Hylo Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Saturday.

Sindhu, who finished runner-up at the French Open last week, continued her impressive run with a 21-13, 21-16 win over world No. 53 Anmol in a lopsided 32-minute semifinal.

Anmol, 19, was playing in just her second Super 500 semifinal, having reached the last four at the Arctic Open last year.

The only previous meeting between the two Indians was at the Syed Modi India International in 2024, where Sindhu registered a straight-game win over her young compatriot.

It was a similar story on Saturday as Sindhu's attacking game, precise net play and wider repertoire of strokes ensured that Anmol, a member of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the 2024 Asia Team Championships, could not put her illustrious compatriot under pressure.

In the first game, Sindhu struggled to judge the deep tosses, missing a few points as Anmol briefly moved 4-2 ahead. The 19-year-old produced a fine cross-court drop but lacked the wherewithal to put consistent pressure on her senior opponent.

Sindhu's attacking game and precise net play meant she was never behind for long. The 31-year-old has a wider repertoire of strokes and greater experience and never looked fazed, going through the opening game with consummate ease.

Sindhu moved to 10-7 before Anmol produced a cross-court return and a net shot, only to hit her next shot wide. At the break, Sindhu led 11-9.

Sindhu extended her lead to 15-10 in a jiffy. Soon, a net shot earned her seven game points, and she converted the first after Anmol hit her return long.

After the change of ends, Anmol again raced to a 4-2 lead, but two fine shots from Sindhu saw her regain the advantage.

A fine net dribble helped Anmol make it 8-8 and then take a 9-8 lead when Sindhu found the net. But the margin for error was small, and Anmol lacked the precision and consistency to sustain the pressure. A net error handed Sindhu a slender one-point lead at the break.

At 13-13, Sindhu failed to negotiate a smash, and Anmol followed it up with another precise smash to take a 15-13 lead. But, as in the opening game, the scores were soon level at 15-15, courtesy of two errors from the junior shuttler.

A fine drop helped Sindhu take a 17-15 lead. Two more errors from Anmol handed Sindhu four match points, and she sealed the win with another precise return at the back.

Later in the day, Lakshya Sen will face France's Toma Junior Popov.