PV Sindhu cruised into the quarterfinals of the BWF World Championship, staying intact in her title defence as she defeated Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-14 21-18 in 48 minutes.
Sindhu had an imposing presence throughout the whole game and forced multiple errors, as she eased past Chochuwong who had defeated the Indian in their last two meetings.
Sindhu moved Chochuwong around the court for her opening few points and took control of the opening game after the first interval. Errors didn’t help Chochuwong as an inconsistent judgment on the line, coupled with Sindhu forcing her into awkward angles made it difficult for the Thai to settle in the game.
Her struggles aggravated in the second game as Sindhu didn’t let the intensity drop. She pulled out a couple of cross-court smashes early in the game, while the errors continued to hurt Chochuwong as Sindhu gained an 11-6 lead in the first interval.
The Thailand shuttler did make some resurgence in the second phase of the game and grabbed three straight points before winning another two to make it 15-18 but Sindhu – once again – pulled it back with a cross-court smash.
Chochuwong won three successive points again and looked on the verge of a dramatic turnaround but Sindhu held nerve to end Chochuwong’s streak and seal a berth in the quarters.
Sindhu will now face Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-ying in the quarterfinals, who defeated Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour in another round-of-16 match.
