Archives for 2021

TOKYO: You can hear a pin drop inside the badminton arena at the Musashino Forest Plaza. Because there are no crowds, you can also hear two players breathing. Extremely fast. Both of them are down. The rally they have played is 62 seconds long. The lactic acid in their muscles is making both of them grimace. The umpire shows some sympathy and allows both of them an unscheduled water and towel break.

Akane Yamaguchi, who wins the point with a smash to PV Sindhu’s backhand, senses an opportunity. It’s the first time she has sensed any opportunity Friday. She has won six of the last seven points, it’s the kind of run players usually use as a platform to win games, and matches.

The Japanese, nicknamed the Energiser Bunny because of her endurance capacities, forages on moments like this. Sindhu, who is feeling the pace for the first time in the match, loses her iron-like grip on the match. Five minutes before that 54-shot rally, Sindhu is seven points away from a second successive semifinal at the Olympics. A few minutes after that rally, Yamaguchi is one point away from forcing the third game. 

The next five minutes is the perfect example of why Sindhu has become this big-game monster, an all-conquering mamba mentality that has helped her make the big stages her playground.

From 18-20, she saves both game points with two smashes after moving Yamaguchi around the court like she’s a master puppeteer. Now, strictly speaking, the Japanese doesn’t mind moving around, she is born to play that way. But she doesn’t like being on the receiving end of Sindhu’s punishing smashes. 18-20 becomes 21-20 just like that, thanks to her prowess in moving the bird to the front and back court before moving in for the kill. The 1-2 at 19-20 is a particular highlight. The ma­tch point is academic because this is a different Sindhu.

There was a time when she was considered a bit fragile on the big occasions. Not anymore. She is an absolute beast and the way she goes about monstering her opponents in big matches is almost mean. On commentary, Gill Clark says this is the form that took her to Worlds gold in Basel in 2019. Almost two years removed from Basel, the 26-year-old, if anything, looks even more assured. She has improved her net play — on Friday, she engaged and won a lot of points with her net play — and is moving a lot better. If she came into the limelight with an ‘imma smash everything’ recklessness, she is now more calculative, somehow even more dangerous.    

She will have to be that on Saturday. Standing on the other side of the green canvas is Tai Tzu-Ying, her greatest nemesis. The Chinese Taipei, one of the greatest women’s players of all time, leads the head-to-head count 5-13 (to be fair almost everybody in the women’s game has a negative head-to-head record against her). She is a magician with her flicks, variations and drops. Playing her is akin to playing the sport while trying to dance on ice without proper footwear. Even as you preparing to move in one direction, she diverts the bird in another direction.

TOKYO: Striker Vandana Katariya scored a historic hat-trick to keep alive the Indian women’s hockey team’s quarterfinals hopes in the Olympics with a fighting 4-3 victory over lower-ranked South Africa in its must-win final group match here on Saturday.

Vandana (4th, 17th, 49th minutes) achieved a rare feat by becoming the first Indian woman hockey player to score a hat-trick in the history of the Olympics.

Young Neha Goyal (32nd) was the other goal getter as the Rani Rampal-led side registered its second consecutive win at the Games.

South Africa’s goals came from the sticks of Tarryn Glasby (15th), skipper Erin Hunter (30th) and Marizen Marais (39th).

With two wins from their final two pool matches, India have finished the group stages with six points from five games.

By virtue of this win, India have jumped to the fourth position in Pool A, but Ireland still have a chance to leapfrog the Indians.

India’s fate now depends on the outcome of the last Pool A match between Great Britain and Ireland.

The Indians will have to wait till the evening to know their fate.

A Ireland loss or a draw will be enough for India to seal their place in the quarterfinals.

The top four teams from each pool will qualify for the knockout round.

Needing a win to stay alive in the competition, the Indians meant business and pressed hard on the South African defence from the start.

In doing so, India secured two penalty corners in the first two minutes of the match but dragflicker Gurjit Kaur’s poor execution continued in the tournament.

Still it didn’t take India long to open their account and in the fourth minute, Vandana gave her side the lead, tapping in from close range after being set up by Navneet Kaur’s great run from the right flank.

India kept up the pressure and penetrated the South African circle many times without much success.

But seconds from the end of first quarter, a lapse in concentration from the defence cost India dearly as South Africa drew level through Tarryn Glasby, who deflected in a long shot from Taryn Mallett.

India had enough time to regain their lead through a penalty corner but wasted the opportunity.

Two minutes into the second quarter, Vandana restored India’s lead when he deflected in Deep Grace Ekka’s flick from their fourth penalty corner.

The Indians had three more chances to extend their lead in the second quarter but they couldn’t do so.

The Rani Rampal-led side got two more penalty corners which they wasted, and then, Neha Goyal’s effort from open play was saved by the South Africa goalkeeper.

Just like in the first quarter, India gave away their lead seconds away from half time when Hunter found the net from her team’s first penalty corner.

Two minutes after the change of ends, Neha restored the lead again, deflecting in a Rani hit from a penalty corner as the Indians executed a fine variation.

The fragile Indian defence wilted under pressure once again, when South Africa drew level for the third time in the match, through a Marais strike.

South Africa enjoyed a good run of play in the initial minutes of final quarter and, in the process, secured three penalty corners quickly, but this time the Indian defence did enough to thwart the dangers.

In the 49th minute, a brilliant Vandana saved the day for India when she deflected in Gurjit Kaur’s flick from another penalty corner.

Thereafter, the Indians fell back and looked contend to keep the possession as South Africa pressed hard.

Two minutes from the final hooter, the Indians successfully referred a penalty corner decision given against them.