PV Sindhu falls to An Se Young after winning French Open final opener

PV Sindhu lost the French Open Super 750 final in Paris on Sunday despite taking the first game against world No. 1 An Se Young. The South Korean recovered to win 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 and maintain her unbeaten record against the Indian.

The result made it 11 victories for An in their 11 meetings. Sindhu had taken only one game from her opponent across their previous 10 encounters, at the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships.

Sindhu used attacking returns and close net play to put pressure on An in the opening game. After a tightly contested start, the Indian moved ahead and protected her advantage to take the game in 20 minutes.

An recovers before pulling away in decider

PV Sindhu could not sustain that advantage in the second game as An increased the pressure. The South Korean moved ahead early, strengthened her position around the interval and eventually levelled the contest.

Sindhu saved three game points before An converted her next opportunity. The Indian then made another promising start in the deciding game, opening an 8-5 lead.

An erased that deficit and reached the interval leading 11-9. She continued to widen the gap after the break and took the decider 21-12 to secure the title.

Afterwards, Sindhu said she had fought for each point and was pleased to have won the opening game. She identified the loss of her early advantage in the decider as an important turning point, while saying there were positives to build on.

The Indian had reached the final after a three-game semi-final victory over Japan's Hina Akechi. She had been seeking another title following her Japan Open success in July.

An entered the final without having dropped a game during the tournament. Sindhu ended that sequence, but the top-ranked player still found a way to finish the match in control.

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