New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) Former Commonwealth Games medallist Trupti Murgunde believes PV Sindhu’s run to the Japan Open final has come at the perfect time and could provide a much-needed boost to the two-time Olympic medallist ahead of the BWF World Championships.
The Worlds are scheduled to be held here from August 17 to 23.
Sindhu, who has endured an inconsistent spell over the past few seasons, has produced a string of impressive victories to reach the title clash in Tokyo, where she will face reigning world champion, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.
“She’s been playing quite well but she hadn’t got that kind of a break. Sometimes a run like this, where you’ve made it to the final and had some good wins, definitely gives you a good feeling and a good boost,” Murgunde told PTI Videos on Saturday.
“As a player, it is very tough to consistently perform in every tournament with the expectations that are there. Keeping that in mind, I think this has come at the right time.” Murgunde, who represented India at the 2009 World Championships in Hyderabad, said she had watched some of Sindhu’s training sessions recently and was encouraged by what she saw.
“Coincidentally, I was there for some of her training sessions just having a look and I think she was looking wonderful. If she’s able to keep up that kind of consistency and with the World Championships coming up, it is definitely a positive sign.” The former international acknowledged that Yamaguchi would enjoy home support in Tokyo but felt Sindhu had every chance of coming out on top.
Sindhu leads Yamaguchi 15-14 in their career head-to-head, but the Indian has lost the last six encounters.
“She’s played Akane a number of times and has beaten her as well. Playing at home is slightly an advantage for Akane, but looking at the way Sindhu is playing, I do feel things can go our way.” Murgunde, however, stopped short of comparing Sindhu with world No. 1 An Se Young, who has dominated the women’s singles circuit with her sterling consistency.
“It wouldn’t be fair to compare one player with another. But if I have to talk about An Se Young, her consistency has been brilliant. Her presence on court, her skills and the way she hangs on in rallies are outstanding.” “She has that young blood in her which allows her to take those extra steps that sometimes a senior player might hesitate to take. She’s performing exceptionally well.” On India’s next generation in women’s singles, Murgunde said promising youngsters such as Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma have the talent but will need time to establish themselves at the highest level.
“We already have Unnati Hooda doing well and Tanvi Sharma is also coming up. There are several young players in the 15 to 17 age group who are performing well.” “The transition from junior to senior badminton always takes time. Fortunately, today’s players are getting international exposure much earlier than we did. Now we have to see how quickly they convert that into success at the senior level.” Murgunde also backed India’s chances of winning medals across multiple events at the World Championships.
“I think we definitely have good chances and not just in one event. That’s the beauty of the Indian team right now.” “We have Lakshya Sen and Aayush Shetty in men’s singles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men’s doubles, Sindhu and Unnati in women’s singles, and Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in women’s doubles.” “Every event gives us hope. It’s going to be extremely interesting, and I’m totally excited to watch,” she signed off. PTI AS AH AH
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