Kumamoto (Japan), November 14 (IANS). Thursday was not a good day for two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu. His journey has ended with a big defeat at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024. She had to face defeat by 21-17, 16-21, 17-21 against Michelle Lee of Canada in the second round match.
Sindhu, ranked 20th in the world ranking, could not maintain her rhythm in the match after winning the first game against the Canadian player and the opponent made a comeback and won the next two consecutive games. After losing the first game, Mitchell made a strong comeback in the last two games and this exciting match lasted for one hour and 15 minutes.
Sindhu made a strong start and won the first game 21-17. Both players showed excellent control and accuracy, but Sindhu used her aggressive game to take the lead first. After the break, he continued to apply pressure and eventually won the first game on his fourth game-point.
In the second game, Mitchell responded with sharp shot selection and took control of the match to make it 21-16. After this the match became very exciting.
The final game was a thriller, with Sindhu taking an early 4-1 lead and holding it to 11-9. However, Lee bounced back and took the lead at the end of the match, winning 21–17. This is only the third time that Li has defeated Sindhu in the last 13 meetings.
With the early defeat in the tournament, Sindhu’s hopes of winning her first title since the Singapore Open in 2022 and ending her 24-month drought have further diminished. Their defeat ends India’s campaign in the tournament.
Earlier, Lakshya Sen had to face defeat in the round of 32 of men’s singles against Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia with the score of 22-20, 17-21, 16-21 after giving away a one-game lead. Apart from this, the women’s doubles team of Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand had to bow out in the first round itself.
–IANS
AMJ/RR
