Finance
P V Sindhu, a double Olympic medalist, finished her Badminton Asia Championships campaign with a bronze medal after losing in three games to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.
The 26-year-old got off to a good start but couldn’t maintain it, falling 21-13, 19-21, 16-21 to top seed and world No. 2 Yamaguchi in the one-hour, six-minute match.
Sindhu’s second medal in the tournament; she won bronze in the 2014 Gimcheon edition.
The Hyderabad shuttler, who has two Super 300 titles from the Syed Modi International and the Swiss Open, easily won the first game in 16 minutes.
In the second game, Sindhu, the fourth seed, was given a point penalty for taking too long between points, which sparked an argument with the referee.
The two’s argument resulted in a momentum shift, as Yamaguchi levelled the playing field in order to force a draw.
The Japanese shuttler found her stride and never let Sindhu hold her breath.
Sindhu trailed from the start of the final game.
Yamaguchi finished with five match points, which she duly converted.
Sindhu now leads Yamaguchi 13-9 in their head-to-head series.
With Sindhu’s defeat, India’s bid for the individual continental championship has come to an end.
Source:HT
