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Even though PV Sindhu could not successfully defend her BWF World Tour Finals crown from 2018, she should not have any regrets about her recently concluded 2019 season. The Hyderabad shuttler etched her name in the annuls of India's sporting history by becoming the first Indian to win the BWF World Championships.
Sindhu's run to the final of the Indonesia Open right before the premier Basel event was another big highlight of her season. The 24-year-old may have won just one international title but she definitely left her mark in many important matches against opponents who have previously been her nemesis.
Here's a look at the top 3 wins of PV Sindhu in 2019:
#3 Sindhu vs Chen Yufei at the Indonesia Open (Sindhu won 21-19, 21-10)
This is the only match on this list that isn't a three-game thriller. However, the importance of this match is paramount as it indicated Sindhu's burgeoning confidence levels and set her up for a stunning show at the World Championships.
The Indonesia Open was the first tournament in which Sindhu found her groove and played like she is expected to. Her journey was not easy from the beginning but she refused to give up even when the chips were down.
That was evident from her two fighting victories against Aya Ohori and Mia Blichfeldt after which it was smooth sailing until the final. But it was her meeting with Chen Yufei that stands out as the young Chinese had been the best player of the season until then, the highlight of which was her All England Open triumph.
Chen had also beaten Sindhu in their previous showdown and when the match began, it did not look like she was in a mood to relent.
Sindhu ultimately managed to stave off Chen's challenge to bag the first game 21-19. After that she did not put a foot wrong and cruised through the second game for a 21-19, 21-10 win.
#2 Sindhu vs Li Xuerui at the Indonesia Masters (Sindhu won 22-24, 21-8, 21-17)
One of the best matches that PV Sindhu played this season was her very first match of 2019. Having endured a hectic schedule at the Premier Badminton League, Sindhu began her BWF title quest at the Indonesia Masters, a Super 500 tournament.
The first round was billed as a must-watch as Sindhu was pitted against the 2012 London Olympic gold medalist, Li Xuerui. The two hadn't met in four years and the Chinese ace had a 3-2 edge in their head-to-head record at that point in time.
Having said that, Xuerui wasn't the same player who had once ascended to the pinnacle of the world rankings and had dominated the badminton world. A serious knee injury that she suffered at the Rio Olympics sent her to the sidelines for a prolonged period and she was still in the midst of her comeback when she and Sindhu locked horns in Jakarta.
From the first point, it was evident that it was a face-off between two Olympic medallists. Sindhu took some time to settle into the match and size up her opponent. In that time, Xuerui had pocketed the opening game by the slimmest of margins, 24-22.
That woke up the champion in Sindhu and she summoned all her power and aggression to blitz through the second game 21-8 and then take the third 21-17 to complete a memorable comeback victory.
#1 Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying at the World Championships (Sindhu won 12-21, 23-21, 21-19)
Arguably Sindhu's best match of the year was her clash with Tai Tzu Ying at the World Championships. With her guile, finesse and exceptional anticipation skills, the Chinese Taipei ace had been a terror for the lanky Indian in the past. Sindhu had succumbed to her six times in a row since beating her at the Rio Olympics.
Tai had become such a tough puzzle for Sindhu to solve that the Indian has succeeded in taking a game off her only twice in those six meetings. Tai has an uncanny ability to blunt Sindhu's attacking game and make her look pedestrian on the court.
It was not until the BWF World Tour Finals in 2018 that Sindhu finally managed to find a way to snap the losing streak. Indian badminton aficionados were eager to see if the Rio Olympic silver medallist could produce that same resilience and fighting spirit against Tai when they set up a much-anticipated showdown in the quarter-finals in Basel.
Sindhu was on the backfoot for much of the match, which was very much reminiscent of their World Tour Finals meeting just a few months back. Tai looked in control and took the first game 21-12. The second game was a tight tussle in which neither player wanted to give the other an inch as they battled for supremacy. Finally, Sindhu held her nerve to grab it 23-21 after some brilliant strokeplay.
The decider proved to be equally entertaining with the champions showing their grit and tenacity. Sindhu once more calmed herself and saved her best for last as she finished off the match with a fantastic 12-21, 23-21, 21-19 win.
