Sindhu ends up runners-up, again

Jakarta, July 21

PV Sindhu’s hopes of breaking a seven-month title drought came crashing down as the Indian lost in straight games to Akane Yamaguchi in the finals of Indonesia Open. Seven months after becoming the first Indian to win the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals in December, Olympics silver medallist Sindhu had an opportunity to finally lay her hands on another crown only to squander, losing 15-21 16-21 to the Japanese in a lop-sided summit clash that lasted 51 minutes.

Playing her first final of the season, Sindhu looked a bit anxious and failed to match the brilliance of the 22-year-old Yamaguchi, whom she had beaten in the last four meetings. “She played really well and there were long rallies. I was leading in the first game by 2-3 points but I made a few mistakes and then she finished it off. If I could have won the first game, it could have been a bit different,” Sindhu said. “In the second game, I gave her a huge lead of 5-6 points and was left to cover it. But overall, I think it was a good tournament for me and I hope I can take the confidence going forward. Next, I am playing in Japan, I hope to do well there,” she added.

Poor start

Sindhu had a forgettable start in the opening game as she lagged 0-3 but soon controlled the proceedings, making Yamaguchi run across the court and finishing with her precise returns to take a 5-4 lead. At 7-7, Yamaguchi took the lead when Sindhu went wide. But the Indian managed to grab a three-point advantage at the break after the Japanese went wide twice. Yamaguchi then grabbed three straight points as Sindhu miscued her strokes. A delicate net shot took Yamaguchi to 12-13 but she missed the line again. The Japanese levelled par at 14-14 when the Indian went long.

Yamaguchi attacked Sindhu’s long backhand corner and soon eked out a 16-14 lead. A lapse in backhand defence and then one shot going long for Sindhu gave Yamaguchi six game points. The Indian saved one before a smash helped the Japanese seal the opening game.

Sindhu struggles 

In the second game, Yamaguchi moved to a 8-5 lead with Sindhu struggling to control the shuttle. The Indian won a few points because of the unforced errors by Yamaguchi. The Japanese entered the interval with an 11-8 advantage, when the Indian hit out.

Sindhu unleashed a crosscourt smash and pushed one at the backcourt to leave Yamaguchi off balance, but the Japanese rode on the Indian’s unforced errors to move to a 15-10 lead. At 15-11, the duo played a 51-shot rally that ended with Sindhu making a judgement error.

Two unforced errors by Yamaguchi took Sindhu to 13-16 before she moved to 15-18. Yamaguchi made it 19-15 and held four match points when Sindhu went long, The Japanese sealed it with another smash to claim the biggest title of her career. — PTI 

Results

• Men’s: Chou Tien Chen bt Anders Antonsen 21-18 24-26 21-15 in 91 minutes 
• Men’s doubles: Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo  bt Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan 21-19 21-16 
• Mixed doubles:  Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong  bt Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping 21-13 21-18
• Women’s doubles:  Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota bt Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi 21-16 21-18

Numbers game

• 5TH Loss for PV Sindhu to Yamaguchi in 15 meetings. The last time the Indian lost to the Japanese was at the semifinals of the All England Championship last year. The defeat added to Sindhu’s list of runners-up finishes, which include silver at the World Championships, Asiad, CWG, Thailand Open and India Open last year
• 4 Straight defeats for Yamaguchi to the Indian before this victory. This was Yamaguchi’s first win over Sindhu since March 2018 at the All England. Yamaguchi marked her biggest World Tour win since the French Open last year
• 3RD Title of the season for Yamaguchi after claiming crowns at the German Open and Asian Championships 
• 51 Shot rally played by the duo at 15-11, ending with the Hyderabadi making a judgement error