Malaysia Open: Can’t expect match to be easy even when you’re leading, says Sindhu after semis exit

KUALA LUMPUR: P.V. Sindhu acknowledged that she let the game slip away after missing an opportunity to take the lead against her Chinese opponent, Wang Zhiyi, in the women’s singles semifinal of the Malaysia Open. Her impressive run at the tournament came to an end on Saturday after a straight-games defeat to the World No. 2 at the Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil.

Sindhu went down 16-21, 15-21 to the Chinese shuttler, missing an opportunity to avenge her loss to Wang, who had beaten her in last year’s final. The defeat also ended India’s challenge in the season-opening Super 1000 tournament.

The two-time Olympic medallist entered the contest as the underdog and struggled to sustain momentum against the aggressive Chinese player. Wang repeatedly forced Sindhu into baseline errors with her attacking approach and controlled the key exchanges, eventually closing out the match in just under an hour to book her place in the final.