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PV Sindhu had to settle for silver after losing to Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 15-21, 16-21 at the Super 1000 Indonesia Open at Jakarta on Sunday.
In the first game, Akane Yamaguchi got off to a good start, taking an early 3-0 lead. Sindhu came back strongly to take 5 points in succession to lead 5-3. Then long rallies ensued with both players fighting for every point and refusing to yield to the pressure of the opponent. At the mid-game interval in the first game, Sindhu led 11-8.
After the break, she lost her way and committed quite a few mistakes to give a handful of chances to the Japanese to come back into the match. The Japanese showed her class to equal the scores at 11-11 and then raced towards a big lead, giving no opportunity to Sindhu. Yamaguchi won the first game easily with a score of 21-15.
The second game saw Yamaguchi starting off on a positive note, taking a 4-2 lead. Sindhu was not at her best, especially compared to her semi-final match as she committed a lot of unforced errors by hitting the shuttle wide or into the net. Both players showed their defensive skills by fighting for each point and made life tough for each other.
At the interval, Yamaguchi led 11-8, after which the Indian tried her best to make a comeback, but faltered every time thanks to the brilliance of the Japanese, who finally won the second game at 21-16.
It was an amazing performance by Yamaguchi who showed her immense talent in her defeats of World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying yesterday and Sindhu today. As for Sindhu, this silver medal performance will give her the required confidence to perform well at the next major event, which is the Japan Open that starts from 23rd July.
