PV Sindhu sails into Singapore Open final
Singapore(PTI): Indian shuttler PV Sindhu stormed into the Singapore Open title clash with a commanding win over lower-ranked Japanese Saena Kawakami in the women's singles semi-final, here on Saturday.
Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist, who had claimed two Super 300 titles at Syed Modi International and Swiss Open this year, prevailed 21-15 21-7 over world number 38 Kawakami in a 32-minute last-four clash.
The 27-year-old from Hyderabad, who has also claimed a bronze at the Asian Championships this year, is now one win away from her maiden Super 500 title of the 2022 season.
In the finals, the third seeded Indian will face China's 22-year-old Wang Zhi Yi, the reigning Asian Championships gold medallist, who was also part of the Uber Cup team, which won the silver at Bangkok this year. Wang beat Japan's Ohori Aya 21-14 21-14.
Sindhu had defeated world number 11 Wang in their only meeting at the All England Championships this year. A two-time World Junior Champion and a Youth Olympics silver medallist, Wang had also reached the finals of Indonesia Open Super 1000 in June.
Sindhu came into the match with a 2-0 head-to-head record, having played her last at the 2018 China Open. Kawakami had received a walk-over from top-seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the second round.
A former world number 15, Kawakami, winner of the 2019 Orleans Masters and a finalist at Swiss Open the same year, was a part of the Japanese women's team that won the bronze medal in May this year. The Japanese had played just three events last year and it was her fifth tournament in 2022.
Sindhu, a former world champion, looked in complete command against Kawakami, who just couldn't control the shuttle and was buried in a heap of errors during the lop-sided match.
Early on, Sindhu started with her whipping smashes but the drift inside the hall, made decision making difficult and also at times, the precision was lacking.
But the power in her stroke-play helped the Indian moved to a healthy three-point lead at the break.
The 24-year-old Japanese, however, started putting the shuttle in from difficult positions to draw parity. The match came alive with both fighting for each point.
Sindhu also won two video referrals, punished a weak high lift and also made good calls at the baseline to move to 18-14. A power-packed smash and then two unforced errors by Kawakami helped Sindhu seal the opening game comfortably.
Kawakami's struggles continued in the second game as she failed to control the shuttle and conceded a 0-5 early lead to her fancied rival.
Sindhu just had to keep engaging her rival in the rallies and patiently wait for her mistakes. A frustrated Kawakami just could wryly smile as Sindhu first grabbed a 11-4 lead at the mid-game interval and then zoomed to 17-5 in a jiffy.
The Japanese had no answer to Sindhu's attacking forehand returns and deft backhand flicks which opened up a decisive 19-6 lead for her.
Sindhu sent one long but next unleashed a whipping smash from the baseline which her opponent could only sent to the net. When Kawakami's return finally went out again, Sindhu pumped her fist to announce her entry into the finals.
The two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, will lead the Indian charge at the quadrennial event in Birmingham starting July 28.
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Indian students being put off applying to UK universities, report finds
London (PTI): Indian students are being put off applying to UK universities, adding to their financial woes at a time when education institutions are already coping with constrained budgets, a new report into the stability of the higher education sector in England has revealed.
Based on UK Home Office data on confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) by UK providers from 2022-23 to 2023-24, an Office for Students (OfS) analysis released on Friday shows a 20.4 per cent drop in Indian student numbers – down from 139,914 to 111,329.
Indian student groups in the UK said the fall was to be expected amid limited job prospects and also safety concerns following recent anti-immigration riots in some cities.
“There has been a considerable decline in student visa applications from prospective non-UK students in some major source countries,” notes the report by OfS, a non-departmental public body of the government’s Department for Education.
“This data shows an 11.8 per cent decline in the total number of sponsor acceptances issued to international students, as well as considerable variation for students with different nationalities, with the largest declines reported in the number of CAS issued to Indian and Nigerian students, down 28,585 (20.4 per cent) and 25,897 (44.6 per cent) respectively,” it said.
It warns that universities with financial models that depend heavily on students from countries such as India, Nigeria and Bangladesh are likely to be significantly affected due to this downward trend.
“The number of international students from certain countries that send significant numbers to study in the UK has decreased significantly,” OfS cautions.
“By 2025-26, based on current trends and not taking into account significant mitigating action, we estimate a net income reduction for the sector of GBP 3,445 million, and, without significant mitigating actions, a sector-level deficit of minus GBP 1,636 million, with up to 72 per cent of providers being in deficit, and 40 per cent having low liquidity,” it adds.
The Indian National Students’ Association (INSA) UK said it was not surprised with the significant decrease in students from India given the government’s clampdown on foreign students being allowed to bring along their dependent partners and spouses.
“Students are not allowed to bring their partners to the UK under the new policy and given the economic conditions here and recent rioting stories, unless the government addresses this issue the outlook for UK universities is bleak as they rely heavily on Indian students,” said INSA UK President Amit Tiwari.
Indians overtook the Chinese in recent years as the leading nationality granted study visas to the UK and are the largest cohort to access the Graduate Route post-study work visa, which was thrown into disarray due to a review which has since concluded it is here to stay.
“Many reasons contribute to the decline in numbers, including the Conservative ban on dependents, confusion around post-study work visa, increase in skilled worker salary thresholds and an apparent lack of jobs in the UK,” said Sanam Arora, chair of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK.
“We discovered the scale of misinformation that continues to persist; for the first time, safety is also being raised as a concern… Universities need to ensure that they are communicating the UK offer adequately and at scale in India to address the confusions that persist," she said.
"Universities also need to invest significantly in their employability support in order to stay competitive and provide a wholesome, outcome-oriented offer for students,” she added.
