Sindhu wins her first Super Series Title, the China Open
Even if Rio didn't see the tricolour waving in all its glory, Fuzhou had the honour as the Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu won her very first Super Series Premier title after defeating Sun Yu of China in the finals of the China Open badminton tournament, also taking home winnings worth $700,000.
This is her first title since she did the entire nation proud not more than three months ago, at the Rio Olympics. She clinched the win upon registering the match stats 21-11, 17-21, 21-11 on the scoreboard.
World No. 11 Sindhu was trailing 2-3 as per their past track record when she entered the arena for the match that would last an hour and nine minutes.
She seemed to be in formidable form from the get-go, as she established an 11-5 lead early on in the game, and gave her opponent the gargantuan task of averting 12 game points, as she led 20-8. Sun managed to save three points, but it was little too late as Sindhu sealed the opening set.
The second game saw Sun gaining momentum, albeit keeping Sindhu in the lead first at 6-3, and then, keeping the gap consistent, extending it to 11-7 and 14-10. However, Sun came back uber strong, didn't let Sindhu advance until she had caught up with her at 14 points each. She kept up the form, and before you knew it, tied with the Indian with one set each, winning 21-17.
Now neck and neck, Sindhu made no mistakes even as her opponent stayed equally judicious, and they won their first six points pretty much hand-in-hand before Sindhu upped the ante and took it to 10-6. Sun recovered and managed to get 11 points on the board, but Sindhu was far ahead at 19 by then, which she turned to 21 and let out a shriek of joy as the reality - something that had graced her most coveted dreams, she said - hit home.
She becomes the third non-Chinese player to win this title in the past 30 years, and the second Indian, after Saina Nehwal to have done so. Saina bagged the China Open in 2014 and finished as a runner-up last year. As for Sindhu, she had reached her maiden Super Series final at the Denmark Open last year but lost in straight games to 2012 Olympic champion China's Li Xuerei.
