It was not a revenge match: Sindhu

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Bengaluru, September 18: PV Sindhu said she never thought the match against Nozomi Okuhara in the Korea Super Series as a revenge match and her focus was on winning the match.

"Honestly, the thoughts were never on those lines - it is a revenge match, I should win. I just wanted to be patient and control the pace of the game," Sindhu told The Hindu.

"It is nice to know that I am the first Indian to win the Korean Open and wish to get many more firsts," said the 22-year-old.

Sindhu said she was prepared for a long haul in the title clash.

"I was prepared for another long battle and it was more or less like the Worlds final. Close, intense and it again boiled down to those two final points," Sindhu said.
"I just told myself to win those big points, having come close, and I am glad that I pulled them off."

Sindhu downplayed the talks about a classic rivalry between her and Okuhara.

"Earlier, it was Sindhu vs Marin (Carolina). Now, it is me and Okuhara. But again, at the highest level, there is no difference between the big guns. You have to be at your best on any given day to be the winner," she said.

The Hyderabadi said she was not under pressure ahead of the final.

"I don't think there was any kind of pressure because of the expectations and the huge crowd support too. I was determined to win. It is always important to win a major final against someone like Okuhara who is a World champion after all!"

"There is very little time to celebrate as I next fly off to Japan Open where I meet Mitani in the first round and then possibly Okuhara again. I excited with our rivalry and hope to keep winning," said Sindhu.