Another major final and an extraordinary display of badminton by PV Sindhu for the title. However, she fell short by a whisker as Akane Yamaguchi edged past her to clinch the yellow metal. The Japanese took home a three-game thriller which lasted 94 minutes with the scoreline being 15-21, 21-12, 21-19. Thereby Sindhu had to settle for silver at the Dubai World Superseries Finals.
Sindhu’s performance at the Dubai World Superseries Finals
Pusarla was unbeaten throughout the tournament en route the finals. Overcoming the challenge of Sayaka Sato and He Bingjiao in the group stage, she also beat Akane Yamaguchi then. Following her winning streak, it was a one-sided affair for her against the Chinese Chen Yufei in the semifinal. Without much ado, Sindhu was into the finals of the last superseries tournament of the year.
The Final Showdown
Even though the road to finals was comparatively easy, a much bigger challenge awaited her in the ultimate clash. Akane Yamaguchi, the no. 1 seed from Japan was standing in her way to glory. Starting off strongly from the far court, Pusarla led all the way before shifting gears at 14-13. It was not too long for the Indian to clinch the first game 21-15 through her powerful smash winners.
Sindhu in action during the final match.
It was necessary for Yamaguchi to win the second game in order to stay in contention. Carrying the momentum form her first game, Sindhu opened with a 5-0 lead. However, a service error and a couple of mistakes allowed Akane to draw level. After that, the latter took charge after a 41-shot rally at 9-8. Thereby dictating terms and moved the game away from Sindhu’s hands. It was one game apiece with the Japanese winning the second by 21-12.
Following the equalizer, it was now time for the decider. In the third game that lasted 43 minutes, both the players were involved in long rallies and fought hard for every point. This energy-consuming tie left the two quite tired by 15-15. Moreover, there was not much to separate between them in this neck-to-neck battle till 18-18. Again, it was level at 19-19 before Sindhu made two errors at the net which cost her the trophy dear. Akane Yamaguchi sailed home to victory in a scintillating final which was a treat to watch for us.
