Sindhu rues unforced errors against An Se-young in French Open final

File photo: Sindhu fought through long rallies against world No. 1 An Se-young in the French Open final. | Photo Credit: AP

P. V. Sindhu took a game off An Se-young in the French Open final on Sunday, but said a slew of unforced errors in the deciding game cost her in the title match in Paris.

Sindhu won the first game 21-16 but lost the next two, 11-21 and 12-21, to the World No. 1. The two-time Olympic medallist led 8-5 in the third game but let the advantage slip away.

“I felt that I should have maintained the lead from 8-5. That’s where I felt the difference was.”

“When you’re playing with the top athletes, you have to be at your 100 per cent every single point. There were long rallies and it was not like there were easy points. It was good that there were long rallies, but maybe if I could have converted them into wins, I think it would have been different.”

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Sindhu had lost her last 10 matches against An but said the lopsided record had little bearing on her approach on Sunday.

“It’s a fresh day, new day and it’s a new game. Anything could happen. So I fought for every point,” she said. Sindhu kept pace with her opponent in the initial exchanges in the second game before An pulled away. “After that (5-5), she took a lead and then maintained it,” she said.

Asked whether the drift forced her to adjust her game plan, she said, “Little bit, yes. A bit of unforced errors is what I felt [cost me]. But it’s part of the game, right? We need to control no matter what.”

An Se-young revealed that she had to adjust her tactics after dropping the first game and turn to her defensive strength.

“Sindhu is very strong, aggressive player. So, I focussed on my defence, and next I can catch my timing. In the first game, she tried to to rush to me, in the second game, I tried not to rush. I was more focussed on my defence,” she said.

Asked what comes next, the Korean was happy to keep it simple. “Today, I celebrate with a great restaurant, French or Korean food. Next, I will rest and follow my recovery routines.”