After an impressive run in the Malaysian Open Super 1000 following her recovery from a foot injury, PV Sindhu lost to China's Wang Zhiyi in the women's singles semifinals on Saturday, ending India's campaign in the season-opening tournament.

The two-time Olympic medallist could not sustain the pressure against the world number two, committing too many unforced errors in a 16-21, 15-21 loss. Playing her first tournament since October after a foot injury had kept her on the sidelines, Sindhu also let slip an 11-6 lead in the second game.

Sindhu began strongly, using her power and reach to race to a 5-2 lead with trademark cross-court smashes before Wang's deft touch helped her level the score. The game stayed tight until Wang pulled away to 18-14, earned four game points and closed it out as Sindhu hit wide.

In the second game, Sindhu recovered from an early 1-3 deficit to lead 6-3 and then dominated the mid-phase to take an 11-6 advantage. Wang fought back to make it 13-13, then moved ahead 16-13 after a sharp net exchange. A series of errors from Sindhu handed Wang five match points, and the Chinese player sealed her spot in the final when Sindhu sent another shot wide.

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