Olympics: Can PV Sindhu ace the Chen Yufei challenge?
Shuttler PV Sindhu is one of the contenders to secure a medal for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics, starting July 26 in Paris. Sindhu, who will compete in badminton women's singles event, could become the first-ever Indian athlete to win three individual Olympic medals. The Indian shuttler would face second seed Chen Yufei in the women's singles event. Here's the head-to-head record.
Head-to-head record: Sindhu 6-6 Chen
As mentioned, Sindhu could potentially face Chen, in the quarter-finals of the women's singles event. The two players have won six matches apiece against each other on the BWF Tour. However, Chen beat Sindhu in their last three meetings. Chen's most recent win came at the 2024 French Open as she claimed a 22-24, 21-17, 21-18 victory.
Sindhu was ahead in the first half
It is worth noting that Sindhu overpowered Chen in the first half of this rivalry. The Indian shuttler won four of the first six matches between the two. She also won three of the next four encounters before facing three successive defeats.
The grueling French Open match
The match between Sindhu and Chen lasted an hour and 32 minutes, the longest match in nine years of their rivalry. Sindhu was ahead in the first game before the Chinese player staged a comeback.
Recent form of Sindhu and Chen
Sindhu had a forgettable run at the Indonesia Open and Singapore Open. She finished as the runner-up at the Malaysia Masters in May. China's Wang Zhi Yi defeated her in the summit clash. On the other hand, Chen, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, won the Indonesia Open earlier this month. She beat world number one An Se-young in the final.