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Akane Yamaguchi defeated PV Sindhu in the final on Sunday in straight games to clinch the Indonesia Open 2019 title. In the first game, PV Sindhu was leading 11-8 at one stage but Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi came back strongly and won nine consecutive points to take the first game 21-15. In the second game, Sindhu was playing catch-up throughout. At the mid-break of the second game, Yamaguchi was leading the match 11-8. The world number four, Yamaguchi did not give Sindhu even a sniff in the latter part of the match as she took the Indonesian Open title by winning the final 21-15, 21-16.
The first game was a close affair with the two players going toe to toe for much of it. After 8-8, however, it was the Hyderabadi shuttler who took three consecutive points as Yamaguchi missed her lines and the world no. 5 ranked Indian went into the first game interval with a 11-8 lead.
Yamaguchi then fought back and the game was level until 14-14. The Japanese went on the offensive again and raced to an 18-14 lead. She eventually extended the streak to nine straight points and won the game 21-15 in 21 minutes.
The Japanese never took her foot off the pedal after that and the second game was a much more one-sided affair. Aside from showing glimpses of a fight back, Sindhu was second best for much of the second game and lost 21-16 in another 31 minutes, thereby losing an opportunity to win her first title of the season.
This was Sindhu’s first final of 2019. She has had two semi-final finishes this year — at the India Open in March, the Singapore Open in April.
She will next be seen at the Japan Open in July and the Thailand Open in August in the lead up to the BWF World Championships.