World Tour Finals: PV Sindhu loses in summit clash, takes home silver medal

India’s PV Sindhu took home the silver after she surrendered meekly to Korean teen sensation An Seyoung in the summit clash of the BWF World Tour Finals on Sunday. The Indian lost the one-sided match – 16-21, 12-21 – in 40 minutes.

Sindhu, who is the reigning world champion and two-time Olympic medallist, could neither match the pace nor breach the defence of the world number six Korean.

It was Sindhu’s third successive loss — all straight games — to the Korean in as many meetings.

For An Seyoung, this was a historic victory, as she became the first South Korean woman to win the season-ending title.

This title was also her third straight win in Bali. Before this, she won the Indonesia masters and the Indonesia Open in the last two weeks.

Sindhu, making her third final appearance in the year-end tournament, looked out of sorts and could not put up a 2018 repeat when she became the only Indian to win the season-ending tournament.

Up against the 19-year-old Korean, Sindhu failed to make use of of the full court and could not counter her opponent’s attacking moves.

An Seyoung looked in control and flew high with her good quality of strokes. She produced full stretch diving saves with her swift movement to blunt Sindhu’s game plan.

The Indian had a forgettable start and was left to fight a tough battle after lagging 0-4.

Sindhu played a good rally to log her first points with a cross-court return. The Indian tried to narrow the gap by engaging in rallies but it was Seyoung who came out on top and remained one step ahead.

After the break, the Korean doubled the lead to 16-8. Sindhu tried to manage the deficit but her opponent collected 8 game points in style.

The second game started on an even note with Sindhu managing to take a 5-4 lead for the first time. However, the Korean was quick to bounce back and extended her lead to 11-8 at the break.

After the interval, it was the same old story. The teen sensation took control of the proceedings and burst into a 15-8 lead.

Sindhu was unable to match the quick pace of her opponent. Seyoung, on the other hand, made the court her own, making it difficult for Sindhu to snatch a point.

In a jiffy, An Seyoung grabbed a massive 10 match point. Sindhu saved two before sending one to the net as the Korean celebrated.

Sindhu will next look to defend her title at the World Championships in Huelva, Spain starting December 12.