The most striking image from the 2024 Malaysia Masters final between PV Sindhu and Wang Zhi Yi is not some athletic shot or the victory celebration; it's the reaction to the first point of the final essay of the match.
Sindhu had taken a massive 11-3 lead in the decider from the good side, and Wang had her task cut out if she had to win the title. What followed was a lung-busting, 56-shot rally with both hustling for the shuttle, creating openings and defending all over the court before the Chinese player's angled smash landed just out of Sindhu's reach in the forehand corner. At once, in near-perfect synchronisation, both players folded down, hands on their knees, catching their breath.
The next few minutes would change the final completely, with Wang fighting back from 3-11 down to overpower the Indian in a 16-21, 21-5, 21-16 win, and extend Sindhu's title drought since 2022.
There are two ways to look at PV Sindhu's Malaysia Masters final loss:
Glass half empty - Sindhu floundered at the final hurdle, very close to the finish line, as factors such as side of the court, her opponent's defence and pressure got to her head.
Glass half full - Sindhu put together a solid string of matches, winning three back-to-back three-game battles, beating a top Chinese player and getting to 100% in the final leg of pre-Olympics preparation.
Both these perspectives are valid. But the one to focus on should be the constructive version, both for the player and Indian badminton followers.
Coming after Sindhu took a break for a training block, this was a week to take heart from even though it ended in bitter disappointment. In a year where the big goal is just one - an Olympic medal, a third one for Sindhu - these tournaments should be seen as learning curves to to get there.
This was not her day. as she later said, but it gave her plenty to learn on the areas she needs to amp up.
"I didn't get the result that I expected. I think I should have pulled it off, maintaining the lead," Sindhu was quoted as saying by BWF after the final. "Overall a good match... bit disappointing, but a lot of positives to take from this match and the whole tournament as well. I am happy that I least came to the finals. I played well, these matches will definitely give me a lot of confidence.... Of course, I go back and see what improvements to be done and discuss with my coach."
Pusarla V. Sindhu ���� challenges Wang Zhi Yi ���� for the women's singles crown.
#BWFWorldTour #MalaysiaMasters2024 pic.twitter.com/yQqyq26dGu- BWF (@bwfmedia) May 26, 2024
It is no secret that this version of Sindhu, after the surgery in late 2022, is not at the same level of physicality that made her a force to reckon with in big matches. But she has been slowly building back to it and said that she felt 100% mentally and physically in Malaysia and wanted to bring her confidence back to that level too.
Physically, this tournament was a test as tough as any. Overall, Sindhu spent a total of 5 hours and 27 minutes on court, and while a large part of this can be attributed to her struggles from the far side of the court, it also showed that her recovery from the injury that kept her away for four months since October has been good. She is moving well again and defending deep in longer rallies.
Tactically, she was sharper and surer in her attack, going for the aggressive strokes when she got the chance, imposing her reach and speed, especially at the net, and not shying from the body smashes; as Wang would attest from the first game of the final.
Mentally, though, is where she will have to work on more going forward. Under the pump when playing from the harder side and when her lead disappeared, she got impatient and her shots dissolved in errors. Bad line calls, both with the shuttle and the Hawkeye cost her too. In a game of fine margins, these moments of misjudgement and letting external factors affect your game can be the difference between a win and a loss.
Consider this: Sindhu won 10 out of 49 points on far side while Wang won 19 out of 51 playing there. It was about controlling the errors from an end which is known to disadvantageous, and the Chinese was able to do that. And it takes a lot of confidence to do that when your opponent seems to be running away with it.
Sindhu is aware of this and had said before the semis that she is trying to bring her confidence back. To that end, this week can be a double-edged sword - a confident run to the final with big wins over Chinese top seed Han Yue, but a repeat of some old mistakes in the end against the second seed.
The challenge then is to regroup from this and head afresh to the two big tournaments lined up next - the Singapore Open Super 750 and Indonesia Open Super 1000. Sindhu said it will take her a day at most and she plans to have some good food and relax, not think about the match before preparing for the next two weeks.
"It's not just over with this tournament. So it's important to get back and maybe just a day off and then be prepared for the next tournament. It's important that you keep pumping up, you keep pushing yourself, you keep encouraging yourself in these low times That's what I can do now at the moment," she said.
A sage perspective given how important the next two weeks her. The two mandatory tournaments, will all the big players present, will give her a chance to apply all the things she has learned this week and test herself against the best. It won't get easier from here on but it'll be what she needs to bring herself up to an optimum level before the big one in Paris