Macau, Dec 1: After successfully defending her title at the Macau Open, India's teen sensation P V Sindhu today said she was happy to win her first title of the year and end the season on a high.
Two-time World Championship bronze medallist, Sindhu outplayed Kim Hyo Min of Korea 21-12 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted 45 minutes at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion.
"It was a good win. She played really well. I knew it won't be easy. She had beaten some good players coming into the finals. The scoreline might say it was a straight game win but it was tough. I am happy I could play my game and I am happy with my performance," Sindhu said.
"It has been a good year for me. I beat some very good players and won some important medals in big events such as World Championship and Asian Games. I will look to work harder and do better next year," she said.
Talking about the losses this year, Sindhu said: "There are some defeats which will always bother you as a player like the loss at Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. At Glasgow, gold medal was for the taking but I could not do it.
"Also at Asian Games, I could have won but I guess that is part and parcel of the game. Good thing is that I came back to do well at the World Championship," she added.
Chief National coach Pullela Gopichand also heaped praise on Sindhu for defending her women's singles title at Macau Open and said it was her consistency which helped her to do well this season.
"It is a good win for Sindhu. She played really well. I think she has been very consistent throughout the year. She beat some good players such as Michelle Li and Busanan (Ongbumrungpan) getting into the finals. The Korean also beat Sun Yu to get into final. More importantly what she showed on court was good. She was sharp," said Gopichand.
"We have seen her play in Korea. She played in the Asian Games. She had beaten P C Thulasi. We knew she is good. She had beaten some good players like (Nichaon) Jindapon. It was a tough match and a good quality match. Both the players played brilliantly," he said. .
Sindhu scripted some historic moments for Indian badminton this year as she became the first Indian to win two back-to-back medals in the World Badminton Championships. She also won the bronze medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Asian Games at Incheon.
The 19-year-old also won a team bronze at the Uber Cup, which was hosted by India for the first time.
Gopichand said despite the losses Sindhu has shown that she can beat the top Chinese players on a given day.
"Overall, it has been a hectic year with lots of big events and she has shown that she has the cheek to beat the Wang Shixians and Wang Yihans. Every 2-3 months, she had had good results this year and so she has been consistent," he said.
"Of course, there has been some losses but at 19 if she starts winning everything that will be surprising. There has been few ups and downs but the ups have been good and that what matters," said Gopichand.
Asked about the tournaments that she will play next, Gopichand said: "She will next play in Malaysia and India GP Gold. She could not play the China Open as she had cold and she was recovering. So it will be a break for a month. She will be playing a mix of Grand Prix Golds and Super Series, may be 2-3 GP gold and rest super series events."
The former All England Champion, Gopichand said it has been the best year for Indian badminton.
"Over all it is great for Indian badminton. It has been the best year for Indian badminton. The Uber Cup and Asian games medals have been first ever and these are really big and it shows team strength," he said.
"Again by the end of the year, Srikanth beating Lin Dan and then also doing well at the Hong Kong. That is also a great performance. We had three different champions and it is always good to see," Gopichand said.
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