PV Sindhu has made the perfect start to the season on Sunday after bagging the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title with a straight-game win over Scotland’s Kristy Gilmour.
The third-seeded Indian won the match 21-15 21-9 in 32 minutes to clinch her fifth Grand Prix Gold title to avenge a 2013 loss to the Scot, their only previous encounter before Sunday’s match.
This is also Sindhu’s second Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title, having won it in 2013 as well. She also completed a hat-trick at the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold in November last year.
PV SindhuIt is a great win and a fantastic start to the season for me. I have been playing well and I was confident of winning ahead of the final. Infact, the semifinal was a tough match and it boosted my confidence. I didn’t expect the final to be easy. I had played her long back in 2013 but it was a different match and I am a different player now.
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In the opening game, Sindhu made early strides, moving to 5-2 and then sped away with her superior game plan. The Indian shuttler picked the shuttle early and came up with some superb serves and pushed her opponent to commit numerous errors.
The Indian had a healthy 12-6 lead which she increased to 18-10.
The World No. 20 Scot, on the other hand, reeled off four straight points but could never threaten Sindhu who closed the game without much effort. Sindhu produced some awesome smashes and caught the Scottish off-guard with her superior placements. She also dominated the net and used her drop shots to bamboozle her rival.
In the second game, Sindhu once again opened up a slender 5-2 lead which was quickly erased by Gilmour. But the Indian then changed gears and moved to a 9-5 and then jumped to a huge 16-5 lead.
The Scottish shuttler tried in vain to narrow the gap but the Indian slammed the door on her rival.
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