The experience and exuberance of Indian badminton made a reassuring statement on Monday by sweeping the singles competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. While superstar PV Sindhu brushed aside Canada’s Michelle Li in the women’s singles final, rising star Lakshya Sen put up an adrenaline-pumping performance to bring down gritty Malaysian Ng Tze Yong in the men’s singles summit showdown.
Sindhu was out on the court first and was on a mission to add a Commonwealth Games gold to her enviable list of achievements. The world No.7 completed her job by dismissing the 13th-ranked Li 21- 15, 21-13. Incidentally, Li has not beaten Sindhu in eight years, her last win coming in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. On Monday, Sindhu was clinical in her short game against the 30-year-old Li.
In the first game, Li was trying to get points by playing close to the net. A smash on Li’s left made it 7-5 for the Indian before the Canadian came up with a drop shot on Sindhu’s right to make it 7-6. But Sindhu then took three straight points after the interval to stretch her lead to 14-8. Li did come up with two consecutive backhand winners and closed the gap to 17-14. But Sindhu was in control and bagged the first game with a swat shot on Li’s body. The shuttler from Hyderabad dominated the second game as well. She led 11-6 at the interval and carried the momentum forward to close out the match with a crosscourt winner. “I had been waiting for this gold for a long time and finally I have got it. I am super happy,” Sindhu gushed after the final.
Tough battle
The job was not that easy for young Sen later in the day. The 20-year-old had to come from behind to end Yong’s giant-killing run in the competition, winning 19-21, 21-9, 21-16. The Malaysian world No.42 had accounted for world champion Yew Kean Loh and Kidambi Srikanth in his previous two matches.
While the first game saw a see-saw battle with Sen finishing second best, the Indian world No.10 outplayed Yong in the second. Sen took 12 points in a row after going into the break 11-9 ahead. Sen was at his attacking best in the decider and led until the end. Yong tried his best to mount a comeback but the Indian youngster was determined. He converted his first match point following a long rally, leading to a frenzied celebration that saw him throw his racket into the stands. “It was tense in the start, I had to work really hard. Yong also played a great tournament. Congratulations to him as well,” Sen said after his win.
Double the joy on court
India’s star doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the country’s third gold from the badminton court with a straight-game victory over England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy at the Commonwealth Games. The Indian duo put up a dominating display to win 21- 15, 21-13.
India thus finished a fantastic badminton campaign with three gold, one silver and two bronze. Four years back, in the Gold Coast edition of the Games, the Indian pair had lost to England’s Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge.
This time, Shetty and Rankireddy, the world No. 7 in men’s doubles badminton world rankings, turned the tables. This was India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in men’s doubles badminton.
There was little to separate the two teams ahead of the final at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) as the head-to-head record stood at 1-1. However, in the last meeting between the two pairs, at the Tokyo Olympics last year, the Indians had easily outplayed the Englishmen.
On Monday, the fight was intense in the beginning with the Indians taking just a onepoint lead into the break in the first game. But thereafter, the Indian duo stepped on the gas with Shetty’s superior net play enabling t h e m t o clinch the first game with ease. The second game followed a similar pattern with the initial contest being a see-saw battle. The Indians were adventurous with their shots, but the English pair kept coming back at them.
With home support too playing a part, Lane and Vendy tried their best to stay in the game. But Shetty and Rankireddy kept their focus and pulled off a flurry of points after the mid-game interval to go 16-11 up. The Indians wrapped up the match soon after to give the country another CWG gold.
