Sindhu loses to Korean An in final of World Tour Finals
NEW DELHI: When PV Sindhu was crowned world champion in August 2019, An Se-young was 17, ranked 29th in the world, and had won only a few lower tier tournaments.
Much has happened since then. The South Korean, now 19, is now world No.6—one rung higher than Sindhu, winning top-level tournaments by beating the best and is being touted as the next big thing in women’s badminton.
If ever there was a doubt about her talent and ascendency, she laid them to rest by outclassing world champion Sindhu 21-16, 21-12 in 39 minutes to win the biggest title of her career, the prestigious $1.5 million BWF World Tour Finals. The South Korean capped a flawless, unbeaten three-week run in Bali, having won the Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open too in the last two weeks.
Such has been An’s dominance over Sindhu, 26, that the Indian has not been able to win a game in three meetings. Sunday’s final at the Bali International Convention Center was no different with the Korean winning 42 of the 70 points.
“The playing conditions definitely suited An Se-young better. The shuttles were extremely slow. She keeps a good length, pushes (the shuttle) too deep back with those high clears, plays very simple badminton and brings you to her rhythm and pace,” said former India chief coach, U Vimal Kumar. “Tactics need to change a little to outpace her. In these conditions, it was very tough. I don’t think anybody could have played that sharp to get past her. That’s why she won all three tournaments.”
An forced Sindhu to commit errors from the start with the Indian hitting wide regularly. The South Korean, using the lofts and slowing the pace, frustrated Sindhu, who is aggressive and prefers a fast-paced game.
The only mild weakness An, who idolises Thailand’s former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, showed in Bali was perhaps in her backhand returns. But the teenager controlled the game from the start and didn’t give Sindhu the chance to exploit that. An was in total control, full of confidence after winning two back-to-back titles, and was easily able to anticipate Sindhu’s shots, retrieve and finish them early, thereby keeping the rallies short.
Though Sindhu showed her brilliance in a point or two, An’s masterclass overshadowed her. Sindhu, who won the event in 2018, tried hard but pushed the bird deep, and many a time wide, handing the first game to An in just 18 minutes.
“The Korean was engaging Sindhu by taking pace off the shots, slowing her down completely, not giving her the pace. And these slow shuttles are very tough to put down,” said Vimal, who is a member of the senior selection committee. “An had much better footwork, moved fluently. Somebody had to do anything very sharp to hassle her (in the three tournaments); somebody like Carolina Marin or Tai Tzu Ying who can. Even Sindhu can do it, but she seemed a couple of notches slow today.”