P.V. Sindhu will take on He Bingjiao in the women's singles bronze medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Sunday. Sindhu lost to Tai Tzu Ying in the semifinals on Saturday.
Here's what Sindhu needs to do to get the better of Bingjiao.
First of all, Sindhu needs to keep aside the historical facts like her 6-9 loss-win record (winning 15 games and losing 20). She can draw confidence from the fact that last time they played, in the 2019 BWF World Tour Finals, Sindhu won 21-19, 21-19.
1. Knowing that her rival is a rally player, much like Nozomi Okuhara, Sindhu could avoid playing long rallies. Frequent change of direction of returns is more important than varying the length of the returns.
2. Finishing strokes must be executed at the earliest instead of waiting to set up a point.
3. Be ready to play with powerful, downward strokes and wait for the defensive lift from her rival to finish the point. She needs to play more down-the-line smashes than the predictable cross-court tosses.
4. Unlike Tai Tzu Ying, He Bingjiao does not have great deception. Therefore, Sindhu can afford to play the shuttle closer to the backline and then change the direction with flicks on either flank.
5. Much will depend on how Sindhu controls the net.
6. The placements on the backcourt will have to be a lot more accurate than they were against Tai.
7. Knowing how well-trained and fit her opponent is, Sindhu would do well to go flat out in the first two games to finish the match. Since Sindhu has not played a single match spanning three games, He Bingjiao could test her stamina like never before in the competition.
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