Malaysia Masters: Sindhu loses to nemesis Tai Tzu Ying in quarters

Kuala Lumpur, July 8 (IANS): Former world champion P.V. Sindhu was knocked out of the Malaysia Masters 2022 after losing to Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying in her women’s singles quarterfinals at the Axiata Arena, here on Friday.

Sindhu, seventh in the badminton world rankings, lost to world No. 2 Tai Tzu of Chinese Taipei 13-21, 21-12, 12-21 in 55 minutes. This was Sindhu’s seventh straight loss to Tai Tzu and 17th defeat in 22 matches.

The two-time Olympic medallist, had lost to Tai Tzu in the Tokyo 2020 semifinals and also at the Malaysia Open quarterfinals last week.

Despite engaging in long rallies, Sindhu found it difficult to break Tai Tzu’s defence and trailed 11-9 at the first interval. The Indian badminton ace found herself at the receiving end for the rest of the game as the Chinese Taipei shuttler, with a good mix of backhand shots and smashes, took the 1-0 lead in the match.

Sindhu was quicker on her feet in the second game and raced to an 11-4 lead. Tai Tzu did make a mid-game comeback but an early cushion helped the Indian take the match into the third game.

Both shuttlers brought their A-game into the decider. However, after losing two challenges, Sindhu, leading for the most part before the break, lost her rhythm and conceded points in quick succession. Tai Tzu then capitalised on the opening and sailed into the semifinals of the BWF Super 500 badminton tournament.

In men’s singles, H.S Prannoy, India’s only remaining challenger at the Malaysia Masters 2022, will take on Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan, later in the day.