Two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu lost to Wang Zhi Yi of China 21-16, 5-21, 16-21 in the Malaysia Masters final on Sunday.
It was Sindhu’s first final of 2024 and the second seeded, ranked seven, Wang did not make it easy.
In a match that lasted for an hour and 19 minutes, Wang Zhi Yi made a spectacular comeback from trailing 11-3 in the final game to win the match with a 16-21 scoreline.
After beating World No. 20 Busunan Ongbamrungphan 13-21, 21-16, 21-12 in the semifinal, Sindhu was the only Indian in the tournament.
PV Sindhu vs Wang Zhi Yi, Malaysia Masters final highlights
Against Wang, Sindhu began spectacularly as she used down the line smash and on the body shots to good effect in the first game. She took the first game quite comfortably in the end, winning it 21-16.
However, things turned upside down in the second game when Wang completely outplayed the 28-year-old Indian. Sindhu continuously erred while the 24-year-old from China didn’t let her breathe. Sindhu lost the game 5-21.
She did make a brilliant comeback after the second game drubbing, as she began the decider game with an attacking approach, once again attacking Wang on the body. Sindhu sat comfortably at 11-3 at the halfway mark before Wang made an impressive comeback, displaying a world class return game.
Wang went from 11-3 down to winning the game 16-21, continuing Sindhu’s title drought.
Sindhu will next compete at the Singapore Open super 750 tournament starting on Tuesday.
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