Learning from losses, Malvika Bansod charts dream run at the China Open

Delhi: Malvika Bansod caught the eye of badminton lovers in the country when she defeated Paris Olympics bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the first round of the China Open Super 1000 tournament earlier this week.

Playing against another higher-ranked opponent, Kirsty Gilmour, in the next round, Malvika displayed that her win against Tunjung was not a flash in the pan and defeated the Scottish shuttler as well.

With her two big-ticket wins, Malvika became only the third Indian shuttler to reach the quarter-finals of a BWF Super 1000 tournament after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu and ended a six-year wait.

However, her dream run came to an end when she went down fighting against Akane Yamaguchi in straight games.

Despite the loss, Malvika considers the past two days to be among the best she’s ever had.

"The last two days have taught me immensely to control the shuttle, how to keep my nerve in tight situations, and believe in myself. It has bolstered my confidence in dealing with the top 10 of the world," Malvika told The Bridge over a phone call from China after her quarterfinal.

Due to multiple higher-ranked players pulling out of the BWF tournaments post-Olympics, world number 43 entered the China Open with a tough draw at hand facing world number 7 Tunjung.

"It is my first outing here at the China Open Super 1000 and it has been a very brilliant experience for me. I was handed a tough draw and playing against the Olympic bronze medalist in Paris was challenging given she is a crafty and skilled player," Malvika said.

"However, I am glad that I could play my natural game and keep up the pace with her," she added further.

In recent times, Malvika has come close to defeating big names such as Nozomi Okuhara, Line Kjaersfeldt, and Akane Yamaguchi. But her inexperience cost her those games.

In her admission, Malvika believes that all those losses helped her in learning the craft of closing the matches.

"I was very close to defeating the big names such as Okuhara and Yamaguchi but I lost those games. I took that learning from the losses and applied it here," said Malvika.

"I changed my strategy and confused my opponents by playing strokes contrary to her expectations," Malvika explained further.

When asked what are her plans next, Malvika said that she would return to the country and then plan for the European leg of the BWF tour.

"I will come back to India now and then take some rest. After rest, I will be back in training and will plan for the upcoming tournaments in Europe," said Malvika.

While the fans have constantly asked who after PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, Malvika Bansod is slowly and steadily emerging as a reliable answer to that question.