HONG KONG: World number three Tai Tzu-ying won the women's singles at the Hong Kong Open Sunday, dashing P.V. Sindhu's hopes of back-to-back superseries titles and avenging her loss to the Olympic silver medallist in Rio.
Sindhu, fresh from capturing the China Open in Fuzhou last week, looked hesitant as she struggled to match the pace of the Taiwanese player, who unleashed a mix of well-timed lobs and drop shots in her 21-15, 21-17 victory.
"It was a good game overall, but it was her day," said Sindhu, who brushed off suggestions that her win at Fuzhou had left her drained in Hong Kong. "I'll go back and train hard."
Tai cruised through the first game with relative ease, remaining cool as she controlled the contest's tempo and placement of the shuttlecock.
Sindhu rallied in the second but was unable to establish a rhythm as Tai pulled away in the latter half of the game.
The 22-year-old stayed patient during longer rallies as her opponent struggled to reach shots and keep the shuttlecock in play.
"I like to be easy during my matches. I don't like to put too much pressure on myself," said Tai, who booked her ticket to the final a day earlier by beating Rio gold medallist Carolina Marin.
Tai's triumph in the Hong Kong Open marked her second superseries win of the season after clinching the Indonesia Open title in June.
She said her eyes were now firmly set on finishing the season on top at the tour final in Dubai, a tournament she won in 2014.
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