PV Sindhu returned to the Badminton court after a lengthy injury layoff however, Carolina Marin spoiled the party as the Spaniard prevailed 21-12, 10-21, 21-15 in the opening round of the Malaysia Open.
Ever since winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal in August last year, Sindhu had been out through injury, and she had to taste defeat upon her return after five months.
The sixth seed faced a tough challenge in Marin, a familiar foe who got the better of the two-time Olympic medalist in Kuala Lumpur.
It was a clumsy start from the Indian shuttler as she looked off pace and Marin, who had won the Malaysia Open in 2015 needed just 16 minutes to claim the first set 21-12.
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Sindhu looked out of rhythm, understandably after a lengthy injury layoff, but she got into the groove in the second game.
The 27-year-old shuttler from Hyderabad raced into an 11-4 lead, Marin took 3 points back to back looking to force the initiative. Three consecutive points for Sindhu subsequently saw the game develop into an intriguing battle.
35 minutes into the match the Indian shuttler took matters into her own hands and won the second game 21-10, with relative ease as Marin failed to tackle the threat of Sindhu.
The Spaniard began the deciding game on the front foot, breezing into a 5-2 lead. The two-time Olympic medalist was giving her opponent a tough time with her precise drop shots as she fought back to 5-4.
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The final game was proving to be a cliffhanger, however, the former Malaysia Open champion was in the clear by four points as she led 11-7 during the break in the decider.
Sindhu was finding it hard to keep up with Marin as the Spaniard stamped her authority on the contest all over, taking the next five points, and opening up a 14-9 lead.
Following an unsuccessful challenge, the Indian shuttler trailed by five points, as her opponent led 16-11. Apart from the physically demanding contest, the match also became a psychological battle.
Sindhu looked to have lost her rhythm as she gave away three points with nothing going her way as Marin led 19-12. There was still some fight remaining in the Indian ace as she pulled back two points.
Another forced error from the top-ranked Indian shuttler, saw her opponent open up six match-point opportunities. Carolina didn’t have to wait long as she prevailed 21-15, advancing to the next round after a hard-fought contest that lasted 59 minutes.
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