Olympic Winner PV Sindhu Seizes Syed Modi International Championship

By: WE Staff | Monday, 24 January 2022

PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic winner, won her second women's singles title at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament on Sunday, defeating Malvika Bansod, a younger compatriot, in straight games.

Sindhu, the top seed, barely broke a sweat in a lopsided final match, defeating Bansod 21-13 21-16 in a depleted field due to multiple COVID-19 occurrences. The final only lasted 35 minutes.

Sindhu has previously won the BWF World Tour Super 300 event in 2017, and this was her second Syed Modi trophy. The seventh ranked Indians, Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto, won the mixed doubles title in straight games over compatriots T Hema Nagendra Babu and Srivedya Gurazada.

In a 29-minute summit match, Bhatnagar and Crasto defeated the unranked Indian duo 21-16 21-12. When one of the finalists tested positive for COVID-19, the men's singles final between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout was declared a "No Match."

The women's singles match between world number seven Sindhu and young Bansod, who is ranked 84th in the world, was expected to be one-sided, and it was. As Bansod struggled to react to her opponent's game from the outset, Sindhu's vast experience and ability were put to excellent use.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist got started early away and swiftly took a 7-0 lead. At halftime, the ace shuttler used her height and reach to increase her lead to 11-1. After the break, Bansod tried to improve her game by earning a few points to close the gap, but she was no match for Sindhu, who took the first game with ease.

Despite Bansod's best attempts, Sindhu continued to play in the same style, earning four points in a row to trim the deficit to 17-12. Bansod added four more points, but he lacked Sindhu's grace and class, allowing her to win the match handily.