Kuala Lumpur, Jan 10 || Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu’s campaign in the season-opening Malaysia Open BWF World Tour Super 1000 came to an end on Saturday after she suffered a defeat to China’s Wang Zhiyi in straight sets in the women’s singles semifinals.
The two-time Olympic medallist struggled to maintain consistency against the world No. 2, going down 16-21, 15-21 in a match marked by unforced errors at crucial moments. The loss also brought the curtains down on India’s challenge in the tournament.
Competing in her first event since returning from a foot injury that had sidelined her since October last year, Sindhu showed early promise but was unable to sustain the pressure. In the second game, she let slip a commanding 11-6 lead as Wang mounted a strong comeback.
Sindhu began the match positively, taking the initiative with powerful strokes and making good use of her height and reach. Her trademark cross-court smashes helped her surge to a 5-2 lead in the opening game before Wang responded with deft net-play to level the scores. Although a few errors from the Chinese shuttler allowed the 30-year-old Sindhu to move ahead 9-7, Wang regained control to take a narrow lead at the mid-game interval as Sindhu faltered at the net.