**Wang Zhi Yi Triumphs at Malaysia Masters to Soothe the Pain of Missing Paris 2024 Olympics**
Ashley
Thu May 30 2024
Wang Zhi Yi emerged victorious at the Malaysia Masters 2024, held at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, seemingly making up for missing out on a chance to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The two-time Asian champion displayed incredible resilience and skill to overcome former world champion PV Sindhu in a thrilling final showdown.
The 24-year-old Chinese shuttler staged a remarkable comeback to defeat PV Sindhu 16-21, 21-5, 21-16 in the final, ending Sindhu's near two-year title drought since her Singapore Open triumph in July 2022. Ranked 7th in the world, Zhi Yi orchestrated a stunning turnaround from a 3-11 deficit in the deciding game to thwart Sindhu's bid for a third Malaysia Masters title after her triumphs in 2013 and 2016.
Reflecting on her victory, Wang Zhi Yi expressed, “I focused on collecting point after point without thinking about winning the game at that time. I always believed in myself, never gave up, and kept playing consistently. This title is definitely a major motivation that will boost my confidence for future tournaments.”
With this win, the reigning Asian champion of 2022 and 2024 took home a prize of 31,500 USD, while the 2019 world champion Sindhu earned 15,960 USD. Despite being ranked 8th in the Paris Olympics qualification with 75,148 points, Wang Zhi Yi missed the opportunity to secure a spot at the world's largest multi-sport event as each country could only have a maximum of two players from the top 16 rankings to qualify for the event in France.
The second-ranked player in the world, Chen Yu Fei (102,596 points), and the 6th-ranked He Bing Jiao (76,274) represented China in the Paris Olympics qualifiers, while the 7th-placed Han Yue (75,486) and Wang Zhi Yi both missed out on the chance.
While Sindhu may have been disappointed with the loss, she acknowledged her progress and boosted confidence by reaching the final. Despite the setback of squandering an 11-3 lead, Sindhu found positives in her performance throughout the tournament and remained optimistic about her future endeavors.
Badminton, Wang Zhi Yi, PV Sindhu, Malaysia Masters 2024, Olympic Games, Paris 2024, Asian champion, Resilience, Comeback, Victory.