Sindhu falters in Malaysia Masters semifinals, loses to Tunjung

Sindhu lost the semifinal in straight games 21-14, 21-17.

India’s P V Sindhu in action. | Photo Credit: AP

India’s ace shuttler PV Sindhu was defeated by Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-14, 21-17 in the Malaysia Masters 2023 semifinals on Saturday.

The double-Olympic medallist failed to avenge her 2023 Madrid Masters final loss to the Indonesian, where she faltered 8-21, 8-21 in less than half an hour, despite winning against Tunjung seven times prior to the clash.

This was Sindhu’s second-best finish in 2023. The 27-year-old is yet to win a BWF title this year.

Sindhu had the upper-hand early in the first game and held an 11-8 lead. She was able to read play at both ends of the court and rarely made an unforced error.

Tunjung, however, used her forehand sliced drop-shot to great effect and pulled back. Her comeback after the mid-way interval included a four-point run from 12-12 to 16-12. She only allowed three points in the spell while accumulated the 13 she needed.

In the second iteration, Tunjung mixed up her sliced drop with cross court smashes and kept Sindhu on her toes. Had it not been for the Indonesian’s unforced errors, she would have gathered more than the six game-points she ended up with.

Sindhu was able to save three of those but Tunjung’s control and court coverage proved too much to handle for her.

Malaysia Masters 2023 is the first event for the Road to Paris - the qualifying cycle for Paris 2024  Olympics.