Dubai World Open Superseries: PV Sindhu Wins Silver After Loss To Japan's Akane Yamaguchi In Final

PV Sindhu won silver at the Dubai World Superseries Finals after losing a titanic contest against Japan's top seed Akane Yamaguchi 21-15, 12-21, 19-21 today. Sindhu, who beat Chen Yufei in the semi-final on Saturday, is only the second Indian to make a finals appearance at the tournament. Saina Nehwal was the first, but she failed to conquer the finals of the 2011 edition losing to China's Wang Yihan. Sindhu dominated the first game against the Japanese to win it rather comfortably. Yamaguchi mounted a fierce comeback to win the second game. Sindhu not just made several multiple errors but also appeared to be tiring out. The third game was a contest of fine margins, with Yamagucgu edging it towards the very end. The entire match consisted of long rallies, ranging from 31-51 shots. On some occasions, both players almost ran out of stamina.

Words fall short to describe the performance of PV Sindhu. The champion never fails to amaze us with her skills. This silver is no less than a gold. #DubaiSSF https://t.co/TZXj7Q6d24

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) December 17, 2017

It was Sindhu's third loss in a major final, following her narrow defeats at the Rio Olympics and Glasgow World Championship.

Coming into the match with a 5-2 head-to-head record, Sindhu, who had defeated Yamaguchi on Friday in the last group match, failed to outlast the diminutive Japanese, who showed better precision and athleticism to clinch the title.

The 22-year-old Indian, who is playing her fourth Super Series final of the year, thus could not surpass Saina Nehwal, who had reached the final in 2011 and mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju, who also ended runners-up in 2009.

Sindhu had won two super series titles at India Open and Korea Open, besides reaching the finals at Hong Kong Open and World Championship this year.

(With inputs from PTI)