PV Sindhu tells mid-day what it took to avenge her World Championships final loss to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara and become the first Indian to win Korea Open yesterday
PV Sindhu
India's Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu credited her patience against Japan's Nozomi Okuhara for her sizzling Korea Open Super Series win in Seoul yesterday.
It was sweet revenge for Sindhu, who lost to the Japanese girl at last month's World Championships final in Glasgow. Yesterday, Sindhu won 22-20, 11-21, 20-18.
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"It was a good match with a lot of long rallies. She played equally well. We had to play 10-12 or 15-20 shots for each point. I played patiently and that's what worked for me. I lost the second game and in the third, though I was leading 11-5, she made a comeback and reduced the deficit to 18-16. After that, each point became crucial for us. Well, this surely was sweet revenge for my World Championships loss," Sindhu told mid-day from Seoul.
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With this triumph, Sindhu's head-to-head record against Okuhara is now 4-4.
Asked how different Sunday's match was to the World Championships final, Sindhu said: "At Glasgow, it was anybody's game. Today's final was also not easy, but it's just that I was better prepared mentally to play her."
On becoming the first Indian to win the Korea Open, Sindhu said: "I am really happy and excited that I'm the first Indian to win it. It was a very good and happy day for me."
On her aggressive game, which helped send Okuhara packing, Sindhu said, "I always play aggressively, but here I have been shouting from Day One. I was not at all tense before the final. All I knew was that I have to play my heart out to win. That's what I did today."
When asked what advice chief national coach P Gopichand gave her before the final, she said: "His advice was very simple - go out and play your natural game and be a little patient.'"
In her hour of glory, she remembered the advice her father PV Ramana often dishes out. "Success means a lot to me and wins like these motivate me to achieve more. But my dad always tells me that it's very important to stay grounded as you scale great heights. That is something that I always want to work towards," she said.
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