Treated world championship final like a fresh game: Sindhu

Mumbai, Sep 8 (IANS) Treating the 2019 World Championship final against defending champion Nozomi Okuhara as just another "fresh game" was key to her winning the title, P.V. Sindhu said on Sunday. Sindhu was beaten by Okuhara in the 2017 final in an epic encounter that lasted nearly two hours but the 2019 final turned out to be its anithesis with the Indian winning the match 21-7, 21-7 in a mere 38 minutes.

"No I don't think it was playing (in my mind) and also I was very positive," Sindhu said in an event here. "It was just a fresh game for me. We have played a couple of times later as well so it was one of the fresh matches."

Sindhu said that she put value on every point and was quick on her feet which helped her beat her Japanese rival.

"I was very much alert and I was very prepared for this tournament (World Championship) and playing against (Chinese) Chen Yufei and Okuhara, even though it was a different style of the game I was more aggressive and fast on my feet which was much needed.

"So, I was ready for every point and not just thinking about the game. Every point was equally important for me," the ace shuttler said.

She also said that India's foreign badminton coach, Korean Kim Ju Hyun, also had a big impact on her winning the match. "Well it definitely had a lot (of impact) because she has been here for a few months. She had few changes in her mind and I think that really helped me. We worked on that, of course under the guidance of Gopi (P Gopichand) sir and it went very well. I have really improved a lot on skills and a lot more still to improve," said the 24-year-old world champion.