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PV Sindhu eyes sixth World Championship medal, discusses strategy against familiar foes like Wang Zhi Yi, confident after Japan Open win.
PV Sindhu at the China Open.
(AFP)
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has said that although facing familiar foes comes with the advantage of knowing their game, one has to adjust one’s game to the court and shuttle conditions, and hence, nothing comes easy.
Sindhu, a five-time World Championship medallist, will begin her quest for the sixth when she takes on Ireland’s Sophia Noble on Monday evening. If all goes well and the former wins that game and a possible second-round encounter with Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang, she is expected to face third seed Wang Zhi Yi in just the third round.
The head-to-head encounter between Sindhu and Wang is 5-3 in favour of the Chinese. Their recent encounter came at the Uber Cup, where the Indian shuttler lost in a three-game thriller despite leading.
“I think we have played a lot of times. We have played a couple of times, including at the last World Championships, where I won. The last time we played, I was leading but ended up losing from there,” Sindhu said while replying to a query from News18 Sports at a pre-tournament press conference.
“She is doing well and is among the top 10 players in the world, so I know I’ll have to give my best. Everybody wants to play their best at the World Championships or any tournament,” Sindhu added.
“We might know each other’s game, but we also have to make adjustments according to the court and shuttle conditions to ensure we are comfortable playing against her,” Sindhu said.
The star shuttler acknowledged that every player has a different style of play and said that she expects difficult challenges against the likes of Wang, Akane Yamaguchi and An Se-young.
“It will be hard; there will be tough matches and I need to be prepared for that,” Sindhu said.
The 31-year-old is brimming with confidence after ending her almost two-year title drought by winning the Japan Open.
“Yes, it was a long wait, but the Japan Open gave me confidence ahead of the World Championships. Definitely, after winning the Japan Open, that gave me a lot of boost,” Sindhu said.
“I think physically and mentally it has been quite good. I am able to see the changes in terms of my game and my movement. I am happy it’s going in the right way,” Sindhu added.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18PV Sindhu stated that while knowing an opponent’s game is an advantage, players must adjust their game to the specific court and shuttle conditions, making matches challenging.
Ask News18August 16, 2026, 2:51 PM IST
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