Hyderabad: The rising star of Indian badminton, P.V . Sindhu of Hyderabad, continued her remarkable run on Sunday when she won the Macau Open Grand Prix.
In the final, World No.11 Sindhu, seeded first at the tournament, registered a brisk 21-15, 21-12 victory against seventh-seeded Canadian Michelle Li.
Sindhu was in dominant form right from the start of the match. In the first game, Sindhu reeled off several winners to take a 7-0 within just two minutes of the start of play before Li gathered her wits.
But the lanky shuttler -one of badminton's most promising players -refused to relent against the World No.30.
Despite her opponent clawing her way back to 69, Sindhu took the first game 21-15 in only 16 minutes.
Compared to the first, the second game started on a slightly even note with both players going neck and neck for the first few minutes.
Li was more dominant closer to the net while Sindhu was the stronger player at the baseline.
With the scores level on 5-5, Sindhu broke the deadlock to go into the lead and was soon placed comfortably at 11-6. From there, the World No.11 did not ease up on the momentum as she piled on the points, showing better control to emerge champion in the lop-sided encounter.
According to chief national coach Pullela Gopichand, at whose academy in Gachibowli Sindhu trains, they worked on Sindhu's game after she pulled out of the China Open. “At the Academy, we worked extensively on speed and aggression while preparing her for the tournament and she executed it well in Macau,“ Gopi said.
Sindhu enjoyed a phenomenal year in 2013.
After winning the Grand Prix Gold title in Malaysia in May, she went on to become the first woman's singles medalwinner at the World Championships in August.
It was also India's first singles medal at the Worlds after Prakash Padukone's bronze in 1983.
She was then conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award after which, she enjoyed great success at the Indian Badminton League. Sindhu captained the Lucknow-based Awadhe Warriors into the final, where they eventually lost to the Saina Nehwal-led Hyderabad Hotshots.
With this victory, Sindhu cements her place as the next big thing in Indian badminton after the reigning queen, Saina.
