The smiles were back for P.V. Sindhu, who beat Nozomi Okuhara in the Korean Open women's singles final on Sunday, to exact revenge of her World Championship final loss to the Japanese at Glasgow.
"Honestly, the thoughts were never on those lines – it is a revenge match, that I should win. I just wanted to be patient and control the pace of the game," says a visibly delighted Sindhu in a chat with Sportstar.
"And, it is nice to know that I am the first Indian to win this Korean Open and wish to get many more firsts," the 22-year-old champion said.
"I was prepared for another long battle and it was more or less like the Worlds final. So close, so intense and again it all boiled down to those two final points," Sindhu said.
"I just told myself then - just win the big points having come close and I am glad that I pulled them off," India's champion shuttler said.
Sindhu also believes that fans have already started billing her contests against Okuhara very high. "Yes, earlier it was Sindhu vs Marin (Carolina). Now, it is me and Okuhara. But again, at the highest level, there is no difference between the big guns. You have to be at your best on any given day to be the winner," she reiterated.
Were you tense before the final or the thought that you should beat her cross your mind? "I don't think there was any kind of pressure because of the expectations and the huge crowd support too. But, I was determined to win. It is always important to win a major final against someone like Okuhara who is a world champion after all," she said with a big smile.
"Frankly, there was nothing like change in strategy for this Korean Open final. I just wanted to stay focused, knew it would be another tough match and also that patience is the key in such intense struggles," she said.
"Yes, there is very little time to celebrate this victory as I fly off to Japan Open where I will meet Mitani in first round and then possibly Okuhara again. I am all excited at our rivalry and hope to keep winning," Sindhu said.
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