Considering the pre-tournament form of two-time Olympic medallist, PV Sindhu, and her projected Round of 16 opponent, China’s 27-year-old He Bing Jiao, badminton observers had not been too sanguine of the Indian’s triumph at the Paris Games over the player she had beaten in the bronze medal playoff at Tokyo, three years earlier. Nevertheless, Sindhu’s imposing reputation and profusion of medals in the big events like the Olympics and World Championships had induced her adoring fans to expect the completion of a hat-trick of Olympic medals in Paris.

Confident win