Malaysia Open: PV Sindhu loses to Wang Zhiyi in semi-final | Badminton News – The Times of India

Indian shuttler PV Sindhu’s impressive run came to a halt on Saturday after she suffered a straight defeat to China’s Wang Zhiyi in the women’s singles semi-finals of the season-opening Malaysia Open Super 1000.The two-time Olympic medalist struggled to maintain consistency against the world number 2, making a series of unforced errors in a 16-21, 15-21 loss. Playing her first tournament since recovering from a foot injury that had sidelined her since October last year, Sindhu also gave an 11-6 lead in the second match.

The defeat ended India’s campaign in the prestigious tournament.Sindhu started aggressively, taking the fight to her higher-ranked opponent by hitting hard and using her reach to good effect. She unleashed her trademark cross-court hits to surge to a 5-2 lead before Wang responded with deft touches to level through a series of points.A few errors from the Chinese shuttler allowed Sindhu to take the lead 9-7, but Wang clawed back again to take a narrow one-point lead midway through the match as Sindhu faltered at the net.Both players struggled to find length after the restart, with the scores left at 13-13 and several points wasted in the backcourt. From 15 to 14, Wang turned up the pressure with a barrage of attacking shots that cramped Sindhu, mixing them with well-thought-out lifts that floated just out of reach.Wang rose to 18-14, dropping a point in a fierce rally and then earning four game points before wrapping up the opener when Sindhu went wide.The second game started with Sindhu falling behind 1-3 after making two unforced errors, but she quickly regrouped and built rallies with authority to take the lead 6-3. Wang briefly closed the gap, but Sindhu dominated the middle stages by stretching her opponent to the corners with sharp angles, creating an 11-6 lead at the break.Wang returned from the break with renewed intent and took part in strong rallies, but Sindhu countered with accurate net play to stay ahead at 13-9. However, Wang staged another comeback as Sindhu sprayed shots wide and into the net, bringing the score to 13-13 before taking control.A deft exchange at the net gave Wang a 16-13 cushion. Sindhu then missed the backline twice, and a backhand net error gave the Chinese shuttler five match points. The match ended with Sindhu sliding another shot wide, sealing Wang Zhiyi’s place in the final.