Two-time Olympic medallist and India’s badminton superstar PV Sindhu was outplayed by Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in a lopsided women’s singles title clash at the Madrid Spain Masters Super 300 tournament here on Sunday.

Sindhu, who had slipped out of the elite top-10 after a series of early exits following her return from a five-month injury lay-off, looked completely clueless during her 8-21 8-21 demolition at the hands of world No. 12 Tunjung at Centro Deportivo Municipal Gallur.

Despite coming into the final with a dominating 7-0 lead over the 23-year-old Indonesian, Sindhu looked a pale shadow of her old self as an opportunity to seal her first crown in eight months slipped out of her hands.

Nevertheless, the final finish will give her some confidence in a crucial year which will see the Paris Olympic qualification process start next month.

Sindhu, a former world champion, last won a title at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022, while her last world tour crown came at the Singapore Open in July last year.

The 27-year-old from Hyderabad, who currently trains under Vidhi Chaudhary following the exit of Korea’s Park Tae Sang, entered the final after coming here following a failed bid to defend her title at the Swiss Open.

On Sunday Sindhu couldn’t match the tactical acumen and sharpness of Tunjung. She tried to put the shuttle on Sindhu’s forehand corner and then draw her to the net. It worked as the Indonesian led 5-1 early on.

Sindhu narrowed the lead to 5-7 but Tunjung’s precision and angled returns helped her to move to 10-5 before she sealed a five-point lead at the mid-game interval. While Sindhu made a series of misjudgement, Tunjung stayed a step ahead with her deceptive strokes.