PV Sindhu had won three consecutive points to earn her first match point against Beiwen Zhang in the India Open women’s singles final and looked set to pocket the match and the title when her tight net dribble under little pressure from the opponent ended up in the net.
It is difficult to know what exactly went on in the 22-year-old’s mind as the mistake would have brought alive memories of earlier two defeats at the same stage last year, where she was guilty of making such a mistake at a crucial juncture. Sindhu went on to concede the next two points and ended up on the losing side for the third time in four finals.
To her credit, Sindhu was not afraid of playing another tight net shot in a crunch situation. She had made a similar mistake on the dribble against Nozomi Okuhara in the World Championship final in Glasgow, and in the BWF Superseries Finals summit clash against Akane Yamaguchi in Dubai.
Sindhu plays it safe
But it was clear from Sindhu’s body language in the last two points that the mistake played on her mind thereafter – the world No 4 almost apologetically walked to coaches Pullela Gopichand and Heriawan after pushing a net lift wide before shaking hands with Zhang.
It was also clear that Sindhu was under pressure to defend her title. The usually affable player was seen arguing with the chair umpire on the second point of the match over a flash light from within the crowd.
We would not know how much the late-night finish on Saturday – Sindhu was at the stadium almost past midnight – affected her recovery for the final. But the Rio Olympics silver medallist, who was at her aggressive best in the semi-final against Ratchanok Intanon, was tentative in her stroke play. It looked like her first instinct was to keep the shuttle in play rather than dominate her opponent.
Only on half-a-dozen occasions in the 69-minute encounter did the lanky Indian go all-out on attack, hitting the big smashes which had flattened Intanon. Sindhu looked like getting back her composure after she pushed the pace of rallies a bit in the second game and cut down on the errors to force a decider.
However, she once again became tentative after the first few points in the final game, and it was clear that the world No 4 was worried about not throwing all the hard work away rather than going for the kill.
It probably didn’t help her cause that the shuttles were slightly slower than the ones used in the semi-finals. Zhang was lucky to win two points, thanks to the net chords in the business end of the decider, where things were starting to get brighter for Sindhu.
Zhang admitted that Sindhu was under pressure while she had nothing to lose and that worked in her favour. “I think she had more pressure and I had nothing to lose. The crowd got behind her to beat me and she took more pressure than me. She couldn’t control the pressure,” said the 27-year-old American after winning her first major title.
When asked what her pre-match game plan was, the world No 11 responded, “Not to take any pressure and play freely.”
Another heartbreaking defeat
While Zhang stuck to the plan, Sindhu was clearly hassled. And though Gopichand kept on prodding his ward to get her act together and play her drives and clears more confidently, the 22-year-old lacked the conviction to use her attacking prowess against a player who has the ability to retrieve and keep the shuttle in play for longer periods.
Sindhu was inconsolable after the match in the players’ area. Gopichand and the support staff had to help her regroup after a match that hardly rose to the epic levels that the earlier two defeats would be remembered for.
During an interview with The Field a few weeks ago, Sindhu had said that as a professional player doesn’t get time to brood over a defeat for long. “It hurts a lot at that moment. But thankfully, the next day you are travelling and that helps you take your mind off the game. Then you start preparing for the next tournament, looking to win another tournament,” she had said then.
On Sunday, she didn’t even have the luxury to sleep over the loss: She had to go for a dope test within half an hour and then rush to the hotel to catch a flight to Malaysia for the Badminton Asia Team Championship.
There, she will try to help India finish in the top-four and qualify for the Uber Cup despite the absence of Saina Nehwal. She would probably play with much more freedom in Malaysia given that she has little to lose.
This loss, though, would play on her mind longer than any other reversals in the past. It would be interesting to see how she will approach a final against another diminutive shuttler with a penchant for retrieving, standing across the net.
Her fans would, however, be hoping that she comes out all guns blazing rather than trying to play it safe like she did on Sunday or the pressure will only weigh her down.