The smiles were back for P.V. Sindhu as she avenged the loss in the last month’s World Championship final to Nozomi Okuhara by claiming the Korea Open title on Sunday.
“Honestly, the thoughts were never on those lines — it is a revenge match, I should win. I just wanted to be patient and control the pace of the game,” said a delighted Sindhu in a chat with The Hindu .
“It is nice to know that I am the first Indian to win the Korean Open and wish to get many more firsts,” said the 22-year-old. “I was prepared for another long battle and it was more or less like the Worlds final. Close, intense and it again boiled down to those two final points,” Sindhu said. “I just told myself to win those big points, having come close, and I am glad that I pulled them off.”
Sindhu believed fans have started billing her contests against Okuhara very high. “Yes, earlier it was Sindhu vs Marin (Carolina). Now, it is me and Okuhara. But again, at the highest level, there is no difference between the big guns. You have to be at your best on any given day to be the winner,” she reiterated.
Asked whether she was tense before the final, Sindhu said: “I don’t think there was any kind of pressure because of the expectations and the huge crowd support too. I was determined to win.”It is always important to win a major final against someone like Okuhara who is a World champion after all!”
“Frankly, there was nothing like a ‘change in strategy’ for this final. I just wanted to stay focussed, knew it would be another tough match and also that patience would be key in such an intense struggle,” she said. “There is very little time to celebrate as I next fly off to Japan Open where I meet Mitani in the first round and then possibly Okuhara again. I excited with our rivalry and hope to keep winning,” said Sindhu.
