PRANEETH CLINCHES MAIDEN SUPER SERIES TITLE AT SINGAPORE OPEN
Promising Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth clinched his maiden Super Series title at the Singapore Open after defeating compatriot K Srikanth in a historic all-Indian final here on Sunday.
World No.30 Praneeth, who had won the Canada Open Grand Prix last year and reached the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold final this year, outmaneuvered Srikanth 17-21 21-17 21-12 in the summit clash of the USD 350,000 event. "It's always difficult to play someone with whom you play everyday. I am very happy to win today. The way I played in the tournament, I'm very happy. The support here for the Indians has also been very nice," an overwhelmed Praneeth said after the 54-minute clash.
It was the first time in the history of international badminton that two Indians were playing a Super Series final and it turned out to be a thrilling contest. The two trainees of the Gopichand academy exploited every chink that they were aware of in each other's game.
In the first game, Srikanth played some angled shots to set up his points and then used his accurate smashes to seal them. He gathered many points on Praneeth's forehand with his brilliant returns. While in the second game, Srikanth rushed to a 41 lead but Praneeth clawed back at 7-7. The duo, which trains together at the Gopichand Academy, moved neckand-neck till 10-10 before Praneeth grabbed a one-point advantage with Srikanth hitting wide.
Praneeth continued to dominate the proceedings and moved to a 20-17 lead when Srikanth made a service error. He then roared back into the contest when his compatriot hit wide.
In the decider, Praneeth carried the momentum and surged to a 7-3 lead which he consolidated to 11-5 at the break. It was another towering smash on Srikanth's backhand which gave him the lead.