New shuttle star?
Ruthvika shines on big stage as India reach Uber Cup semis, 19-year-old upsets Jindapol.
India may have found a new star in G Ruthvika Shivani. The former national champion upset Thailand’s Nitchaon Jindapol, ranked 94 places above, to help India clinch the Uber Cup quarter-finals 3-1and thereby ensure a podium finish for the second successive time in the tournament being played in Kushnan, China.
With India leading the tie 2-1, the commentators were already speaking about how the scratch combination of PV Sindhu and N Sikki Reddy would have to come up with something special if India had to reach the semi-finals. However, Ruthvika ensured that the tie did not go that far.
Very nervous
Ruthvika looked a bit baffled at this stage but managed to clinch the winning point with a down-the-line smash. The second game was a closer affair with Jindapol looking to prolong the rallies but the Indian youngster was by then brimming with confidence as waited for her opportunities to register one of the biggest victories on the international tour.
“I was very nervous going into the match as I knew how important the win would be for the team. But Gopi sir (chief coach Pullela Gopichand) asked me to stay cool and motivated me to focus on the match,” said Ruthvika, who had announced her arrival on the international stage with a win over Sindhu in the final of the South Asian Games earlier this year. “There was a lot of drift in the court and I had a simple game plan of keeping the shuttle in play and targeting the left corner of my opponent,” she told Mirror.
In the semi-finals, India will take on hosts China who hammered Chinese Taipei 3-0.
Earlier, India’s game plan looked like going for a toss when London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal struggled against world No. 2 Ratchanok Intanon in the first match.
India, who were largely banking on winning the first two singles and the first doubles to get the better of Thailand, were under pressure when Intanon took the first point with 21-12 21-19 win over Saina. PV Sindhu then levelled the scores with a dominating show in the 21-18 21-7 win over Busnan Ongbumrungphan.
The doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa then put India ahead when they defeated Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-19 21-12 and set the stage for Ruthvika to impress.
RESULTS
Uber Cup: Indonesia lost to South Korea 0-3, Thailand lost to India 1-3, China beat Chinese 3-0, Denmark lost to Japan 0-3; semi-final line-up: India vs China; South Korea vs Japan
India may have found a new star in G Ruthvika Shivani. The former national champion upset Thailand’s Nitchaon Jindapol, ranked 94 places above, to help India clinch the Uber Cup quarter-finals 3-1and thereby ensure a podium finish for the second successive time in the tournament being played in Kushnan, China.
With India leading the tie 2-1, the commentators were already speaking about how the scratch combination of PV Sindhu and N Sikki Reddy would have to come up with something special if India had to reach the semi-finals. However, Ruthvika ensured that the tie did not go that far.
The 19-year-old, who is yet to break into the top-100 ranking, kept things simple against the experienced Jindapol and used the cross-court net dribbles as an attacking stroke to baffle the Thai opponent. She raced to a 20-10 lead in the first game as Jindapol struggled to find her rhythm. However, a combination of bad judgement and overzealousness to close out the game allowed the Thai to claw back as she won eight successive points.
Very nervous
Ruthvika looked a bit baffled at this stage but managed to clinch the winning point with a down-the-line smash. The second game was a closer affair with Jindapol looking to prolong the rallies but the Indian youngster was by then brimming with confidence as waited for her opportunities to register one of the biggest victories on the international tour.
“I was very nervous going into the match as I knew how important the win would be for the team. But Gopi sir (chief coach Pullela Gopichand) asked me to stay cool and motivated me to focus on the match,” said Ruthvika, who had announced her arrival on the international stage with a win over Sindhu in the final of the South Asian Games earlier this year. “There was a lot of drift in the court and I had a simple game plan of keeping the shuttle in play and targeting the left corner of my opponent,” she told Mirror.
In the semi-finals, India will take on hosts China who hammered Chinese Taipei 3-0.
Earlier, India’s game plan looked like going for a toss when London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal struggled against world No. 2 Ratchanok Intanon in the first match.
India, who were largely banking on winning the first two singles and the first doubles to get the better of Thailand, were under pressure when Intanon took the first point with 21-12 21-19 win over Saina. PV Sindhu then levelled the scores with a dominating show in the 21-18 21-7 win over Busnan Ongbumrungphan.
The doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa then put India ahead when they defeated Puttita Supajirakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-19 21-12 and set the stage for Ruthvika to impress.
RESULTS
Uber Cup: Indonesia lost to South Korea 0-3, Thailand lost to India 1-3, China beat Chinese 3-0, Denmark lost to Japan 0-3; semi-final line-up: India vs China; South Korea vs Japan
