Struggling Indian shuttler PV Sindhu lost in three matches to her old nemesis Carolina Marin of Spain in an ill-tempered semi-final of the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament, with both players receiving yellow cards for verbal exchanges on Saturday. Sindhu, who has struggled all season, lost 18-21, 21-19, 7-21 in the match that lasted one hour and thirteen minutes. This was Sindhu’s fifth defeat on the trot against Marin, who had defeated the Indian in the memorable final of the 2016 Rio Olympics and in the top match at the 2018 World Championships.
World number 12 Sindhu and Marin, currently ranked sixth, had earlier spoken of good camaraderie between them but they showed none of that on the field on Saturday.
Both were verbally warned several times by the referee before being shown a yellow card in the deciding match. The referee initially called on both players to tone down their celebrations after winning points.
Yellow card for both Marin and Sindhu Dramatic scene#DenmarkOpen2023 pic.twitter.com/jMYuUYRqf4
— Two Two (@ThongWeeDaphne) October 21, 2023
But Marin continued to shout and celebrate, while Sindhu was warned twice as he took longer to be served.
Marin was warned twice for loud celebrations after winning the first game 21-18.
In the decider after Sindhu won the second game, the referee warned the Indian to be ready to be served quickly. At that point, Sindhu was heard saying, “You made her scream, so ask her and I will be ready.”
Soon after, the shuttle fell on Sindhu’s court and both reached out to pick it up, leading to another verbal altercation. The chair referee called both players and gave them yellow cards. Marin was also told not to pick the shuttle from Sindhu’s side.
Sindhu said her opponent was “wrong on her part” but added that rivalry is good for the sport.
“Every time we play there’s different things going on on the pitch, so yeah… a lot of people talk about it. It feels good that the competition is always high and there has to be a rivalry because that’s how the sport grows. ” Sindhu said.
“But today, I think there was a little more rivalry in the court, but I just thought she (Marin) was wrong on her part.” In the first game the two closed 3-3 and then 7-7. Moments of brilliance were followed by odd errors from both as the score stood at 18-18.
The Spaniard then unleashed a body smash to take two game points when Sindhu’s backhand hit the net and followed it up with a powerful smash to earn the bragging rights.
Sindhu, who had famously hugged Marin after the final defeat of the Rio Olympics, had a solid start to the second match and led 6-2. The Indian took the lead 10-3 as she showed better control at the net, while Marin was too erratic.
After the break, Marin took the initiative and soon the rallies became shorter and faster, with the Spaniard’s solid net play delivering the winners.
Sindhu ended a run of seven consecutive points after winning a quick change to maintain the 12-10 lead. Sindhu then had four game points at 20-16. Marin saved three before Sindhu sealed it with a smash to take the match to the decider.
It was Marin who took the initiative in the decider, moving to 3-0 and then to 8-2.
Marin was leading 14-3 and around that time both received yellow cards for a verbal duel. The incident seemed to upset Sindhu as nothing went her way and it was a one-way street. Marin soon ended Sindhu’s misery after 13 match points.
Sindhu said the last two tournaments she had played in Europe had given her a lot of confidence.
“It’s a good start. I would say, the European circuit, the Arctic Open and the Denmark Open. I couldn’t get to the final, but by playing in the semi-finals I’m slowly improving. It’s a big one in itself This gives me a boost and gives me a lot of confidence. We can take a lot of positives from this,” Sindhu added.
Sindhu also reached the semi-finals of the Arctic Open Super 500 in Finland last week.
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