New Delhi [India], January 19 : Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong fell short in the women's singles final of the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament, succumbing to South Korea's AN Se Young in a straight-sets defeat. The South Korean World Champion showcased her dominance, clinching the title with a convincing 21-12, 21-9 victory on Sunday.
Despite the loss, Chochuwong remained optimistic about her performance in the tournament.
"I am very happy to reach the finals, but unfortunately, I did not win the gold medal. It is a good start for me in 2025," she told the reporters.
The Thai shuttler displayed resilience throughout the competition, securing her spot in the final with strong performances. However, she struggled to match AN Se Young's precision and relentless attacking play in the title clash.
For Chochuwong, reaching the final of the prestigious Super 750 event is a promising sign as she looks ahead to the rest of the season. While the defeat was disappointing, her positive outlook and determination highlight her intent to build on this achievement in the months to come.
AN Se Young's triumph in New Delhi further cements her position as one of the top players in women's badminton, while Chochuwong's runner-up finish signals a strong start to her 2025 campaign.
India's top shuttler PV Sindhu was knocked out in the quarterfinal round.
There were a lot of positives to take home for Sindhu. The 29-year-old, who had been struggling with injuries since the Paris Olympics, struggled with her movement in the opening game but took the fight to her opponent once she found her range.
Trailing 3-9 in the second game, Sindhu began pushing Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung to the back of the court thereby nullifying the sharpness of Indonesia's quick slice drops and keeping the shuttle long enough in play to force an error from her opponent.
She caught up with Tunjung at 9-9 and though both the players stayed neck-and-neck thereafter, Sindhu managed to take the match into a decider by forcing the fourth seed into taking more risks to try and win points.
The former champion continued with the same strategy in the decider and it looked like she could script an upset with both players locked at 17-17. Some brilliant stroke play from Tunjung and a wrong judgement from Sindhu ended up deciding the fate of the match which lasted an hour and two minutes.