Two-time defending champion P.V. Sindhu completed a hat-trick of women’s singles title at the $120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold after defeating Japan’s Minatsu Mitani in the final on Sunday.
Two-time defending champion P.V. Sindhu completed a hat-trick of women’s singles title at the $120,000 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold after defeating Japan’s Minatsu Mitani in the final on Sunday.
Sindhu notched up a 21-9, 21-23, 21-14 win over the sixth seed Minatsu in the summit clash that lasted an hour and six minutes.
Said Sindhu, “It is a great win. I am really happy for the victory. Of course it is a hat-trick. Mitani is a good player. I lost to her at the Japan Open but I am happy I could beat her today.”
Sindhu dominated the proceedings from the start, riding on the errors of Minatsu to reach 11-5 at the break. Minatsu came up with an aggressive rally but failed to curb her errors to allow Sindhu lead 17-6 in a jiffy.
Sindhu, on the other hand, was accurate with her smashes and drops as she led 19-9 before reaching the game point with a smash. The Japanese then went wide to hand over the first game to the Indian.
After the change of sides, Minatsu led 4-2 owing to Sindhu’s unforced errors. At 10-9, Minatsu produced a cross court smash which left a stretched Sindhu stranded to go into the break with two-point lead.
The duo moved neck-and-neck till 19-19 when Sindhu made an important line judgement to move to match point. But she sent the shuttle long next.
A delicate net point once again gave Sindhu a 21-20 match point but Minatsu saved again. Sindhu next hit long to give the game point to Minatsu, who sealed the issue after a long rally.
In the decider, leading 11-7 at the break, Sindhu grabbed six of the next eight points before she moved to the match point at 20-11, owing to a wrong line call by Minatsu.
The Japanese then saved three match points but a composed Sindhu didn’t panic and waited for Minatsu’s error and she soon sent the shuttle wide again to help the Indian complete her hat-trick of titles.
