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Top Indian shuttler PV Sindhu says she will take home a lot of positives and confidence despite losing the Malaysia Masters summit clash to China's world No. 7 Wang Zhi Yi in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Sindhu, who would aim for her third Olympic medal in Paris, looked on course for the title at 11-3 in the decider before a shocking meltdown saw her lose 21-16 5-21 16-21 in a 79-minute women's singles final.
"It's sad that I didn't get the result that I had expected. I should have pulled it off, maintaining the lead (in the decider), but there were really good rallies and she (Wang) also came back.
"Overall, I can say that it's been a very good match. It's a bit disappointing, but a lot of positives to take from this match and the whole tournament as well," said Sindhu ranked 15th in the world.
This was Sindhu's maiden entry into the finals after the Madrid Spain Masters in 2023 and the shuttler from Hyderabad, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Academy, said she was happy to reach this stage in a tournament.
Sindhu had last won the Singapore Open and Commonwealth Games gold in 2022 following which she grappled with a stress fracture on her left ankle, which sidelined her for nearly six months. She returned to the court in February last year.
"I am happy that I at least came to the finals, I played well. These matches will definitely give me a lot of confidence, but I could have won that. It's just not one of those days," she added.
Sindhu left Wang crammed for space with her returns to move to 13-9 in the opening game and wrapped it up 21-16. But it was the second game which saw the Indian slip badly, managing just five points.
The former world champion conceded she committed far too many errors.
"I think the second game was literally at some point like 16-4 or 17-4. It was a really long gap to even cover and then I continuously made mistakes and it was a bit hard to control. I gave her a huge lead.
"But the third game I was on point, I was doing well. Maybe I should have (won). When I'd taken the 13-8 lead, 11-3 lead, I should have maintained that," she added.
Sindhu added that she would work with her coach and try to come back stronger in the Singapore Open from May 28.
"I will go back and see what improvements need to be done with my coach and of course prepare for Singapore. It's not just over with this tournament, so it's important to get back be prepared for the next tournament.
"It's important that you keep pumping up, you keep pushing yourself, you keep encouraging yourself in these low times. That's what I can do now at the moment. But it is also important to just cheer myself up and just focus and relax and prepare for the next tournament."