India’s PV Sindhu suffers heartbreak in Malaysia Masters Final, goes down to China’s Wang Zhi Yi
Malaysia Masters: PV Sindhu suffers heartbreak, loses to Wang Zhi Yi in final
Ace Indian badminton star PV Sindhu suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of her Chinese opponent Wang Zhi Yi in a three-game long finale in the Malaysia Masters on Sunday (May 26). After winning the first game, Sindhu failed to make the most of her momentum and lost the remaining two sets (21-16, 5-21, 16-21) to go down in the title match. However, Sindhu led the head-to-head tally 2-1 in the leadup to this contest.
PV Sindhu just falls short 😒
Her wait for a BWF World Tour title continues, after a three-game loss to China's Wang Zhi Yi. #BWFWorldTour | #MalaysiaMasters2024 pic.twitter.com/xwVQaVG2wp — ESPN India (@ESPNIndia) May 26, 2024
The two-time Olympic medalist didn’t start the finale on the best note, losing the first two games. Sindhu quickly changed the equation by taking a 3-2 lead, making it 6-4 in the early minutes later. She connected a few smashes and kept moving ahead with the lead, ending at 11-9 in the mid-game interval.
Sindhu looked in sublime touch right after the break, hitting smashes on Wang’s body and controlling the rallies. Although her opponent made some inroads in her quest for a comeback, Sindhu took the first game with a 21-16 scoreline.
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Wang's comeback stuns Sindhu
Meanwhile, Sindhu was far from best in the second game, with the Chinese shuttler breaking Sindhu’s back with her agility on the court. She took an11-3 lead at the mid-game interval, only to maintain the lead and announce her comeback in the match with a game-levelling win (21-5).
The Indian star looked in her element in the third and deciding game, taking an early lead up front. She didn’t give a breather to Wang and finished on top (11-3) at the break time. Just when Sindhu looked like ending her BWF title drought, Wang upped the ante and went for the kill.
She showed extraordinary determination and scripted a magnificent comeback in the game. She kept reducing the deficit with every winning rally and eventually neared the championship point.
Sindhu had no answers to her game plan in the final game, as she lost the momentum and the title match 16-21.