Indian badminton player PV Sindhu lost the women’s singles title clash against Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung at the Madrid Spain Masters Super 300 badminton tournament. The match was completely one-sided, with Sindhu losing 8-21, 8-21. Despite coming into the finals with a 7-0 lead over the Indonesian player, Sindhu looked out of form and failed to seal her first crown in eight months. However, the final finish will give her some confidence in a crucial year, which will see the Paris Olympic qualification process start next month. Sindhu’s last title win was at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022, while her last world tour crown came at the Singapore Open in July last year. During the week, Sindhu showed flashes of her brilliance as she didn’t drop a game en route to the final. However, on Sunday, she couldn’t match the tactical acumen and sharpness of Tunjung, who tried to put the shuttle on Sindhu’s forehand corner and draw her to the net. Sindhu made a series of misjudgments at the backline, while Tunjung stayed a step ahead with her deceptive strokes and ability to produce winners. Tunjung sealed her maiden world tour title in just 11 minutes after Sindhu went to the net.
