Tokyo, July 19 (IANS) Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu was visibly emotional after her Japan Open title win as she said that the victory brought tears in her eyes, and also explained how much it meant for her to bag the crown. She said that years of perseverance, self-belief and the support of her family and coaching team finally paid off after she ended a 19-month title drought by lifting her maiden Japan Open crown on Sunday.

The two-time Olympic medallist defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium to clinch her first BWF World Tour title since December 2023 and become the first Indian to win the prestigious tournament. Speaking after the victory, Sindhu admitted the triumph carried immense personal significance after months of hard work and questions over her form.

“I had tears in my eyes because it was very important for me to win. I was working really hard on myself and kept believing that I can do it. Even though a lot of people were like ‘What’s happening? Is it done?’, I believed in myself, and I would like to thank my family, coaches and the support staff; both sets of families; my parents and my in-laws; and, of course, my husband is always there even at my lowest. People around me have guided me really well, I’m really thankful,” Sindhu told the media after the game.

The triumph also ended a frustrating wait for silverware, something Sindhu admitted had been on her mind heading into the tournament.

“Very very happy, just out of words. It was 19 months since the time I had won and this one was very important for me. Coming to the final is one thing, but to win and stand on the podium with that gold is a different thing all together. This gives me a lot of confidence and I’m very thankful to my coach, my parents, support staff and of course, my husband,” she added.

The final against four-time champion Yamaguchi demanded composure as much as quality. Although Sindhu held the advantage for large spells, she knew there was little room for complacency against one of the world’s best players.

“The last point was out and I had to take a judgement, I had to challenge that. I knew it was out but until the last moment, you never know what will happen. You can not take it easy. Even though I was leading in the second game, I was making mistakes, smashes were going out. So it was important for me to stay calm and focus on each point. There were games I was winning, there were games that went the other way as well. It was important for me to stay positive until the end,” she stated.

That mindset, she said, became even more important against an opponent capable of turning matches around in an instant. “It was important for me to stay positive all the time. First game I was leading, then she came close. With the top players you can’t take it easy even when you’re leading. It was important to maintain the same aggressiveness. In the end, I couldn’t control my emotions at the end. There were some long rallies, and I won some of those big rallies, and that was important.”

Sindhu also credited her coach for helping her stay composed when unforced errors began creeping into her game during the decisive moments of the match, as she said, “Irrespective of the semis, or finals, or Round 1 or 2, it’s important to stay calm. Sometimes when you’re leading, you want to make sure you end the rallies quicker, and you tend to make simple and unforced errors, which did happen in the second game. But my coach said ‘It’s ok, focus on the next point.’ That made the difference.”

The former world champion revealed that one of the biggest tactical adjustments in recent months has been to play to her attacking strengths while reducing avoidable mistakes.

“My strength is attack and since I’m moving well and attacking good, I need to make sure I stop those unforced errors. Not making too many unforced errors changes the game. Rallies go long,” Sindhu said.

With the World Championships less than a month away, Sindhu believes the Japan Open triumph has provided the ideal platform to build on.

“It gives me a lot of confidence, I need to maintain the same tempo and calmness. That’s the aim,” she said ahead of the tournament at home.

–IANS

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