Singapore Open badminton: India’s PV Sindhu beats China’s Wang Zhi Yi to win first BWF Super 500 title
This was the Indian badminton player’s third title of the year after the Syed Modi International in January and the Swiss Open in March.
Badminton
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu won the women’s singles title at the Singapore Open 2022 BWF Super 500 tournament after beating Chinese shuttler Wang Zhi Yi in the final on Sunday.
PV Sindhu, seventh in the badminton world rankings, took 58 minutes to defeat world No. 11 Wang Zhi Yi 21-9, 11-21, 21-15.
This was two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu’s third title of the year. The earlier two, the Syed Modi International in January and Swiss Open in March, however, were BWF Super 300-level meets.
PV Sindhu, a former world champion and seeded third in the tournament, started the summit clash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with purpose.
After Zhi Yi scored the first two points of the game thanks to lucky deflections off the top of the net, PV Sindhu came roaring back to take the next 13 points on the trot before pocketing the opening game with ease to take the lead.
With the change of ends for the second game placing PV Sindhu against the drift, the momentum of the match seemed to turn as Wang Zhi Yi raced to a 6-0 lead before the Indian could get on the scoreboard.
Despite PV Sindhu trying her best, Wang Zhi Yi easily took the second game to force a decider.
The third game saw a thrilling start with both players exchanging intense rallies. Sindhu did manage to take a five-point lead into the break but with the Chinese shuttler poised to end the decider playing from the favourable end, there was still work to be done.
Once the game restarted, Wang Zhi Yi promptly cut PV Sindhu’s lead down to just one with the score at 12-11.
PV Sindhu, however, fought tooth and nail to keep her nose ahead. The thinnest of margins decided each rally but it was PV Sindhu who stood tall once the dust settled. It was PV Sindhu’s first BWF Super 500 title.
“Thanks to all the fans here who have been very supportive,” PV Sindhu said after the win. “It’s great to be in Singapore and winning the final. I think this is an important title for me personally and can help me take my game to another level.
“I’ll take it easy for a while and turn my focus to the Commonwealth Games,” she added.
This was the Indian badminton player’s second-straight win over her Chinese opponent, having beaten her in the round of 32 of the All England Open earlier this year.
The last time an Indian won the Singapore Open was in 2017 when B Sai Praneeth clinched the men’s singles title. Saina Nehwal won the women’s singles title in 2010.
PV Sindhu’s next assignment will be at the Commonwealth Games 2022, which begins in Birmingham, UK on July 28.