FUZHOU: Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu clinched her maiden Super Series Premier title after edging out Sun Yu of China in the final of the $700,000 China Open badminton tournament on Sunday.
Sindhu, who became the toast of the country after becoming
the first Indian women to win a silver at Rio Games, continued her rampaging
run as she lifted the prestigious title after beating Sun 21-11, 17-21, 21-11
in the summit clash that lasted an hour and nine minutes.
World No. 11 Sindhu had come into the match with a 2-3
head-to-head record but then statistics counted little when she took the court
at the Haixia Olympic Sports Center.
Sindhu dished out a dominating game as she zoomed to a
healthy 11-5 lead early on. The Indian looked sharp and athletic as she engaged
in a fast-paced game to bamboozle her opponent.
Eventually it was a cross court return which earned Sindhu a
massive 12 game points at 20-8. A couple of smashes on Sindhu's forehand and
backhand and a drop going to the net helped Sun save three points. But Sindhu
sealed the opening encounter after dominating a parallel game and finishing it
with a return that hit Sun's face.
In the second game, Sindhu had a slender 6-3 lead which she
extended to 11-7 and 14-10. But Sun soon broke the rhythm by mixing her strokes
and coming up with steep and powerful body smashes to catch up with the Indian
at 14-14.
A sharp smash and a superb return on Sindhu's backhand
helped Sun grab a 18-16 lead which became 19-16 after the Indian lost a video
referral. At 20-16, Sun hit the nets but she roared back into contest when
Sindhu's stretched low return at the forecourt could not cross the net.
Back to her winning side of the court, Sindhu once again
started with new exuberance as the duo locked themselves in a battle of
supremacy. As a result service changed hands too quickly as they moved together
till 6-6.