Spain Masters 2023 Final, HIGHLIGHTS: Sindhu finishes as runner-up, loses to Gregoria Tunjung in straight games

Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the 2023 Spain Masters final in which India’s P V Sindhu lost in straight games to Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

P V Sindhu will take on Gregoria Tunjung in the Spain Masters final. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Welcome to Sportstar’s highlights of the 2023 Spain Masters final in which India’s P V Sindhu lost to Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in straight games

Summary: Well, no one saw that coming. Tunjung, who came into the final with a 0-7 head-to-head record against Sindhu, went all guns blazing right from the word ‘go.’ Sindhu simply had no answers to Tunjung’s attacking game and superior movement on the court. Nevertheless, after the kind of start she had to her 2023 season, a runner-up finish is definitely something Sindhu can take a positive for the rest of her year.

P V Sindhu (IND) lost 8-21, 8-21 to Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (INA) in 29 minutes

SECOND GAME

• 8-21: And that’s it as Sindhu nets the return to Tunjung’s serve. The Indonesian gets her first win over Sindhu in eight matches and also clinches the 2023 Spain Masters title!!!
• 8-20: Tunjung hits a crosscourt-smash and has 12 championship points!
• 8-19: Tunjung nets a cross-court smash.
• 7-19: An accurate drop shot from Sindhu.
• 6-18: Down the line smash from Sindhu. Finds the line. Tunjung challenges the call unsuccessfully.
• 5-18: Sindhu gets a short lift from her opponent and finishes the point with a quick kill.
• 4-17: Beautiful drop shot down the line. Tunjung four points away from the title.
• 4-16: Sindhu drives one into the net.
• 4-15: Another glorious cross-court smash from the Indonesian.
• 4-14: A ridiculous cross-court net shot from Tunjung. This could be over soon.
• 4-12: Good leave from Sindhu. Tunjung lifts one long.
• 3-12: Cross-court drop shot from Tunjung. She is unstoppable right now.
• 3-11: Superb cross-court net shot from Tunjung. An eight-point cushion going into the mid-game interval.
• 3-9: Sindhu goes for a drop shot from the back of the court but ends up hitting it into the net.
• 3-7: Drop shot from Tunjung only finds the net.
• 2-6: A rare error from Tunjung as she hits a down the line slice wide.
• 1-5: Simple smash down the line and Tunjung is running away in this match.
• 1-3: Sindhu seemed to have won the battle of the net shots but as it turns out, the umpire calls ‘fault’. Looks like Sindhu had touched the net. Point goes to Tunjung.
• 1-2: Tunjung not letting Sindhu settle at all. Another well-constructed point finished with a cross-court drop shot.
• 1-1: Lovely net shot from Tunjung.
• 1-0: Sindhu begins the second game with a strong smash down the line.

FIRST GAME

• 8-21: Sindhu lifts one into the net. Tunjung wraps up the opening game in just 11 minutes!!! Unbelievable.
• 8-19: Gorgeous drop shot from the back of the court from the Indonesian.
• 8-17: Finally, Sindhu judges the flight of the shuttle correctly as it lands long.
• 7-17: Another winner down the line from Tunjung. Six points on the trot.
• 7-16: Sindhu nets a drop shot.
• 7-14: Make that seven as Tunjung forces Sindhu to shuffle between the front and back court before finishing the rally with a smash down the line.
• 7-13: Error in judgement from Sindhu yet again. Tunjung with a lead of six points.
• 7-11: Short lift from Sindhu but Tunjung somehow hits the cross-court smash wide.
• 6-11: Sindhu misjudges the trajectory of Tunjung’s lift. The shuttle lands on the line. Five-point lead for the Indonesian going into the mid-game break.
• 6-10: Tunjung ends her run of three straight points by netting an attempted drop shot.
• 5-7: Drive from Tunjung misses the inner sideline by some distance.
• 4-6: Tunjung deceives Sindhu with a drop shot before winning the point with a drive which the Indian lets go only to see it land inside the baseline.
• 4-5: Angled shot from the back of the court from Tunjung lands just wide.
• 1-5: Another lift from the Indian which goes long. Ideal start for Tunjung.
• 1-3: Sindhu’s cross-court return lands well wide.
• 1-1: Tunjung’s smash down the line is initially called ‘in’ but the decision is reversed after a successful challenge from Sindhu.
• 0-1: Tunjung to serve first. Sindhu’s lift from the net lands just long.

5:30PM IST: Warm up is done. Game time!

5:25PM IST: Here we go. The two finalists make their way to the court. Firstly, it is Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. followed by India’s P V Sindhu.

5:15PM IST: Top seed Kenta Nishimoto beats second seed Kanta Tsuneyama 15-21, 21-18, 21-19 in an all-Japanese men’s singles final. Next up - women’s singles final between India’s P V Sindhu and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

5PM IST: At the final mid-game interval in the men’s singles final, it is Tsuneyama who leads 11-9.

4:44PM IST: A close second game between the two Japanese men as they battle it out for the men’s title. And it is Nishimoto who has won the second game 21-18 to take this summit clash to a decider.

4:23PM IST: While we are waiting for Sindhu’s match to start, the match before it - men’s singles final between the number one seed from Japan Kenta Nishimoto and his counterpart Kanta Tsuneyama is taking place. Kanta leads 21-15.

4:08PM IST: The Spain Masters has been a part of the BWF World Tour since 2018 but no Indian has ever reached the final in Madrid in any category. Will Sindhu be able to win the title today?

PREVIEW:

India’s P V Sindhu defeated Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min in straight games in the semifinals of the Spain Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 300 event.

Second-seeded Sindhu won 24-22, 22-20 against Yeo in 48 minutes to reach her first final this season. Sindhu will face Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in Sunday’s summit clash. Fifth-seeded Tunjung defeated top seed and home favourite Carolina Marin 10-21, 21-15, 21-10 in the second semifinal.

Sindhu went into the contest with a 3-0 head-to-head advantage but it was Yeo who went into the mid-game break of the opener with a slender two-point lead before extending the gap to four points (14-10).

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and former World Champion, did well to reduce Yeo’s lead back to two points (14-16). However, the shuttler from Singapore grabbed three of the next four points.

At 20-15, Yeo had five game points. Sindhu saved the first one with a down-the-line smash before her opponent hit the same shot wide twice in the following rallies. An error in judgement from Yeo on Sindhu’s lift and a body smash from the Indian restored parity at 20.

The Singapore shuttler earned another opportunity to clinch the opener with a delightful cross-court drop shot after a long rally but Sindhu saved it with the same shot in the next iteration. The Indian was forced to save another game point before Yeo hit a cross-court smash wide and a netted a drop shot to hand the opener to Sindhu.

Carrying the momentum into the second game, Sindhu went into the break with an 11-6 lead. However, Yeo managed to reduce the deficit to one by winning five of the next six points before making it 14-all. The Indian seemed to have made a decisive move by moving ahead at 17-14 with the last of those points leaving her opponent on her knees. After receiving medical treatment on her right knee for a cut, Yeo went on a run of four straight points. Sindhu followed Yeo’s four-point streak with a three-point one of her own.

Sindhu thought a cross-court return from Yeo had landed wide and celebrated, thinking she had booked her spot in the final but to her surprise, the umpire called it ‘in’ and while the decision seemed to be contentious, the Indian could not ask for it to be reviewed as she had wasted both of her challenges a few minutes earlier.

A netted return from Sindhu made it 20-all but her opponent from Singapore drove one wide to provide her a third match-point chance. Sindhu did not have to do much as Yeo drove a return into the net to end the proceedings.

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD

Sindhu leads the head-to-head record 7-0 against the fifth-seeded Indonesian. Their most recent meeting was in the second round of the 2022 Indonesia Masters where Sindhu won 23-21, 20-22, 21-11.

When to watch P V Sindhu vs Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 2023 Spain Masters Final?

The 2023 Spain Masters women’s singles final between India’s P V Sindhu and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will be played on Sunday i.e. April 2.

At what time will P V Sindhu vs Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 2023 Spain Masters Final begin?

The 2023 Spain Masters women’s singles final between India’s P V Sindhu and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung is the fourth match in the order of play with the first match beginning at 1:30PM IST. The women’s singles final could begin around 5:15PM IST.

Where can you watch P V Sindhu vs Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 2023 Spain Masters Final?

The 2023 Spain Masters women’s singles final between India’s P V Sindhu and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will be streamed live on BWF TV’s YouTube channel.