After losing a thrilling final to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the World Badminton Championships, India’s PV Sindhu offered words to praise to the newly crowned world champion, while ruing the heartbreaking defeat in her second major final in a year’s time.

Sindhu lost 19-21, 22-20, 20-22 in a nerve-wracking title clash in Glasgow on Sunday.

“It was anybody’s game. It’s upsetting to lose, but you can’t say anything at the end of such a match. It was never over from both sides. The third game went to 20-all. Every point was tough and we were both not getting go. Obviously anybody would aim for a gold because this is the final of the World Championship, but that last moment changed everything,” she said.

“I’ve always known she was never easy. And we would never leave the shuttle. I’ve always played long matches against her and was prepared for this. But in the end, it could’ve been anyone. It was her,” Sindhu said of Okuhara.

The 2016 Rio Olympic finalist lauded Okuhara for her persistence, saying, “We both believed in ourselves. I used to always back myself in long matches. But today maybe even she believed in herself. It was good overall. With this confidence I know I’ll learn much more going forward. Both physically and mentally this was a tough match, with those long tosses and drops. I finally realised she’s never gonna leave.”(sic)