Indian badminton star PV Sindhu will be up against old nemesis An Se Young in the women's singles quarterfinals at the ongoing Badminton Asia Championships 2023.
Both players are coming into the quarterfinal clash on the back of commanding wins. Sindhu, ranked 11 in the world, beat ninth-ranked Han Yue in straight games 21-12, 21-15 while Young produced a clinical performance to oust Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-19, 21-16 in the pre-quarterfinals.
Sindhu started the Badminton Asia Championships 2023 on a slightly underwhelming note when she was pushed to the limit by Wen Chi Hsu of Taiwan (21-15, 22-20) in an intense 46-minute battle.
Young, however, had a relatively easy first-round match when she breezed past Malaysia's Goh Jin Wei 21-10, 21-8 in just 27 minutes.
PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, has had an underwhelming season so far. Her return to competitive badminton after a five-month injury layoff at the start of the year didn't go as expected. She strung together many losses, which also resulted in her coach Park Tae Sang walking out.
An is ranked second in the world and has won a staggering 14 BWF World Tour singles titles, a World Championship bronze and the All England Championship title in the last four years.
PV Sindhu vs An Se Young head-to-head
PV Sindhu and An Se Young have squared off five times, with the South Korean holding a superior 5-0 advantage over the Indian. Sindhu lost to Young at the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals, Korea Open 2022, Denmark Open 2021 and Uber Cup 2022 in recent times.
Date: April 28, 2023
Time: After 4.30 pm IST. The quarterfinal matches commence at 2.30 pm IST (1 PM local time) and the PV Sindhu vs An Se Young match is the fourth match.
Venue: Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Al Nasr Club, Dubai.
PV Sindhu vs An Se Young prediction
The two champion players have been ruthless in the ongoing Badminton Asia Championships 2023. The fact that PV Sindhu has not beaten Young in her career so far would be a good-enough motivation for her to get a first-win under her belt.
Having said that, Young has also shown exemplary skill in decimating opponents in the ongoing tournament. Her game strategy has been top notch and credit should go to the Korean for reading Sindhu's game very well to be able to put it past her on multiple occasions.
Prediction: An Se Young to win in three sets
Badminton Asia Championships 2023: Where to Watch in India
The tournament will be broadcast live on Sony TEN 2 and Sony LIV in India. The Badminton Asia Championships 2023 can also be watched live on Badminton Asia's YouTube channel and Facebook page. BWF's social media accounts will also have regular updates of the match.