Lucknow, Dec 1: The top-seeded P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen delivered outstanding performances to secure the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament here on Sunday.
Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, ended her prolonged title drought by defeating China’s world number 119 Wu Luo Yu with scores of 21-14, 21-16, marking her third triumph at this tournament, having previously won in 2017 and 2022.
Lakshya, a bronze medallist from the 2021 World Championships, showcased unparalleled skill in the men’s singles final, overwhelming Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh with a score of 21-6, 21-7, demonstrating his complete dominance throughout the match.
Sindhu’s win signifies her return to the top of the podium after more than two years, with her last title achievement occurring at the Singapore Open in July 2022. The world number 18 also reached the finals of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 earlier this year.
Lakshya’s victory serves as a significant boost after an underwhelming exit in the bronze medal playoff at the Paris Olympics, undoubtedly enhancing his confidence as he heads into the new season.
Indian badminton celebrated further as the women’s doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured their first Super 300 title with a decisive 21-18, 21-11 victory over China’s Bao Li Jing and Li Qian.
This achievement makes Treesa and Gayatri the first Indian women’s doubles team to win the title at this prestigious tournament. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallists, who were runners-up in 2022, took a commendable step forward with their stellar performance this year.
In the men’s doubles final, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K fought valiantly but fell short, losing to China’s Huang Di and Liu Yang with scores of 14-21, 21-19, 17-21 in a marathon battle lasting 71 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles final, fifth seeds Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila started strong but failed to maintain their momentum, ultimately losing 21-18, 14-21, 8-21 to the sixth-seeded Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. (PTI)
