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PV Sindhu's title drought continued as she lost the Malaysia Masters women's singles final. Playing in her first summit clash in seven months, the Indian went down to Chinese rival Wang Zhi Yi.
The first set of the women's singles finals at the Malaysia Masters began with both Sindhu and Wang pouncing on the smallest of errors from their opponent. Despite the game's fast pace, the players successfully kept the shuttles on the court and engaged in long rallies.
While the scoreline was neck to neck to start with, the Indian shuttler managed to take an 11-9 lead heading into the mid-game interval. She kept the pressure on post the break, widening the gap before sealing the set 21-16.
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The second set saw a complete turnaround for Sindhu. Where she had been dictating long rallies in the first set, she couldn't find that mojo in the second. Constant errors resulted in the Indian handing her Chinese opponent the second set, 5-21.
The early half of the decider was comparatively light on the Indian fans. PV Sindhu seemed to be getting back on track, exploiting Wang Zhi Yi’s backhand corners and raining smashes into her body. Before long, the Indian was up 11-3 and within touching distance of her first BWF World Tour title in two years.
However, the Chinese made a strong comeback to crush the Indian's hopes. Climbing her way slowly up the scoreboard, Yi made a comeback for the ages, winning the Malaysia Masters title 16-21. 21-5, 21-16.
Malaysia Masters 2024: PV Sindhu confident after recovery
Nevertheless, for PV Sindhu, the run to the Malaysia Masters final can be considered a success. The Indian hadn’t been in action for a month since the Badminton Asia Championships, opting out of the Uber Cup and Thailand Masters in order to focus on the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Upon her return, the Indian looked closer to her 2022 title-winning self than she has in quite some time. Speaking to BWF about her run to the final of the Malaysia Masters, Sindhu expressed confidence in her fitness, saying:
“I have recovered and am completely alright now. I’m moving well. So I think I’m definitely getting that confidence back and doing well. These kinds of wins definitely give me a lot of confidence.”
PV Sindhu will likely take to court next at the upcoming Singapore Badminton Open, a Super 750 event, scheduled to be held between May 28 and June 2.
