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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The contest remained evenly poised after the break, with both players struggling for length and trading errors as the score moved to 13-13. From there, Wang raised the tempo, unleashing a series of attacking shots while mixing in well-judged lifts to pull away to an 18-14 lead. Despite a brief resistance from Sindhu, Wang sealed the first game as the Indian sent a shot wide.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sindhu again started strongly in the second game after briefly falling behind, constructing points patiently to move into a 6-3 lead and later extending it to 11-6 at the interval by forcing Wang into the corners. However, Wang emerged with renewed intensity, gradually erasing the deficit as Sindhu’s errors crept in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The contest remained evenly poised after the break, with both players struggling for length and trading errors as the score moved to 13-13. From there, Wang raised the tempo, unleashing a series of attacking shots while mixing in well-judged lifts to pull away to an 18-14 lead. Despite a brief resistance from Sindhu, Wang sealed the first game as the Indian sent a shot wide.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the defeat, the semifinal showing marked a positive return for Sindhu following her injury layoff, offering encouraging signs ahead of the rest of the season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n