World No 12 defeated Japan's Minatsu Mitani 21-9, 21-23, 21-14 to clinch the USD 120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title for the third time after returning from an injury layoff
PV Sindhu
India's PV Sindhu is ending a rocky 2015 with a title triumph. And isn't she delighted. Yesterday, the World No 12 defeated Japan's Minatsu Mitani 21-9, 21-23, 21-14 to clinch the USD 120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title for the third time after returning from an injury layoff.
PV Sindhu. Pic/Getty Images
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The 20-year-old Hyderabadi missed the prestigious All England Championships in March due to a stress fracture on her left foot, an injury which kept her out of action for around three months. "Ending the year with a title is a great feeling. After coming back from an injury layoff, I lost in the final of the Denmark Open and now I won at Macau. I am really happy with my performance and of course, it's a hat-trick," Sindhu told mid-day over the phone yesterday.
Comparing her Chinese opponents to her final opponent — World No 18 Mitani – Sindhu said: "She is a good player. You can not compare the Japanese and Chinese players. I feel the Chinese have a different way of playing and the Japanese have different strategy and style".
Explaining how the one hour, six minutes final wasn't as easy as it seemed, Sindhu said: "The first game was relatively easy, but in the second game, she (Mitani) played some long rallies. I could have finished it off, but I played two smashes into the net at crucial moments and that was disappointing".
Minatsu Mitani
Sindhu, who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest, said it is an honour to interact with all-time great Prakash Padukone, the organisation's director.
"OGQ has been very supportive and especially, Prakash sir. Whenever I meet him, he analyses my game, which has been a great morale-booster for me. Gopi sir (national coach P Gopichand) is always there for me as well," she added.
Next up for Sindhu is the USD 120,000 Indonesia Open in Malang, East Java where she opens her campaign against local shuttler Gregoria Mariska on Wednesday.
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