Sindhu beats Marin, in semis

Kuala Lumpur, June 29 

PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth entered the semifinals of the Malaysia Open with straight-game wins. Sindhu beat Carolina Marin 22-20 21-19 in a 52-minute quarterfinal match, while Srikanth dumped world No. 22 France's Brice Leverdez 21-18 21-14 in a 39-minute clash at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, a suburb in Kuala Lumpur.

The 22-year-old Sindhu will face world No. 1 and top seed Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying while Srikanth will take on former world No. 2 Kento Momota. In the first game, Sindhu grabbed an 11-10 lead at the interval after Marin failed to reach for a shot at the backline. 

Lagging 15-18, Marin grabbed five straight points to secure two game points. A net error and a wide shot by Marin saw Sindhu claw back at 20-20. The Spaniard hit wide and then found the net as the Indian pocketed the opening game. 

In the second game, Sindhu grabbed an 11-6 advantage and moved to 19-15. 

A solid defence saw Sindhu grab three match points. She blew two points before unleashing a crosscourt smash to seal the contest in 52 minutes. — PTI

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