Defending champion P V Sindhu stumbled on the threshold of glory once again, suffering yet another narrow defeat in a pulsating final, this time against<\/p>\n
American Beiwen Zhang to finish runner-up at the India Open Super 500 tournament on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Playing her second tournament of the new season, Sindhu came agonisingly close to clinching the title before losing 18-21 21-11 20-22 to Zhang at the Siri Fort<\/p>\n
Sports Complex.<\/p>\n
It was Sindhu\u2019s fourth loss in a major final in the 2017-2018, which includes defeats at World Championship, Hong Kong Open and Dubai Super Series Final<\/p>\n
last year. Sindhu always played long matches against Zhang\u2014all of them going to the decider and it was no different as the duo engaged in a fierce battle of<\/p>\n
supremacy till the last point. Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American. She, however, looked a<\/p>\n
little rusty early on today as Zhang grabbed an early 3-0 lead.<\/p>\n
The American then netted a shot and also hit wide as the Indian made it 3-3. Zhang moved to 5-4 but Sindhu unleashed a smash to draw level. A couple of<\/p>\n
smashes by Zhang helped her to open a three point lead but a tight net dribble and then a return at her rivals forecourt saw Sindhu again draw level. At the<\/p>\n
break, Sindhu had a slender two point advantage after Zhang hit out twice.<\/p>\n
After the interval, Zhang drew parity at 12-12 following a miscued shot near the net by Sindhu. The duo moved neck and neck till 15-15. Zhang then produced a<\/p>\n
smash which left Sindhu flat on the court. The American grabbed another point to again open up a two point lead, before leading 19-16.<\/p>\n
Sindhu won a video referral next and Zhang then misjudged a return at the forecourt as the Indian narrowed the margin to 18-19. But Sindhu\u2019s return went wide<\/p>\n
twice as Zhang pocketed the opening game.<\/p>\n
In the second game, Sindhu changed gears and zoomed to a 8-2 lead early on, riding on unforced errors by her rival. Sindhu then hit out and netted her return<\/p>\n
as Zhang grabbed two points but the American struggled with a net return and hit wide as Sindhu grabbed a 11-4 lead at the mid game interval.<\/p>\n
Sindhu tried to counter her opponent\u2019s acute angled strokes with better court coverage and pushed Zhang to make too many unforced errors to lose the second<\/p>\n
game. In the end, it was a beautiful drop which helped Sindhu reach 20-11 and she roared back to the contest after Zhang hit out again.<\/p>\n
In the decider, Zhang and Sindhu split the initial eight points before the American unleashed two smashes on both the flanks and then produced a precise return<\/p>\n
on the line to lead 9-4. At the breather, Zhang managed to hold 11-9 advantage.<\/p>\n
After the lemon break, Zhang hit out twice to allow Sindhu to draw level again. The lead changed hands too frequently as the duo reached 14-14. Sindhu tried to<\/p>\n
place the shuttle in difficult positions and reached 15-14 after producing a smash but a weak return next gave the lead to Zhang.<\/p>\n
With Sindhu also sending a forehand return wide, Zhang opened up a two point lead at 18-16. But Sindhu again clawed her way back at 19-19 by punishing<\/p>\n
Zhang for a poor return and pushing the shuttle at the back after leaving her opponent out of position.<\/p>\n
A tight net play followed by a smash helped the Indian grab a crucial match point at 20-19. But an anxious Sindhu again faltered with a weak return and Zhang<\/p>\n
then unleashed a smash to turn the tables.<\/p>\n
Earlier, All England Championships finalist and fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China walked away with the men\u2019s singles crown after beating world no 7 and third<\/p>\n
seeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen 21-18 21-14 in a 47-minute duel. Fifth seeded Danish combo of Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen prevailed<\/p>\n
21-14 21-15 over Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in a 37-minute match to claim the mixed doubles crown, their first title<\/p>\n
together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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