CHENNAI: Just 10 days ago, PV Sindhu had come out on the losing side after a 66-minute contest against Japan's Sayaka Takahashi at the All England Open Championships. That she was making her 10th unsuccessful attempt to win that elusive title meant it was a harsh lesson once again.
Anyone in her position might have taken some time to process that reality but not Sindhu. Winning and Sindhu has become synonymous over the years, given the plethora of medals the current World No 7 has earned in the last decade or so. On Sunday, she added one more to her trophy cabinet by clinching the Swiss Open, a BWF Super 300 event.
The two-time Olympic medallist showed her might against Thailand's Busanan Ongamrungphan (World No 11) in the final with a 21-16, 21-8 demolition in 49 minutes. This was Sindhu’s second title of 2022 after her success at the Syed Modi International.
In the opening game, it was a see-saw battle at the start with both Sindhu and Busanan trading points. The Indian was testing her rival's backhand and managed to hit some winners in the process. The duo was also involved in long rallies with both testing out each other's fortitude. It was Sindhu who had her nose in front during the first break.
Despite being forced into making some errors, the Thai shuttler stayed in the game until the end. However, Sindhu brought her big-game reputation to the fore at the crunch moment. At 18-16, she knew she had a lead to protect and she took a sensible approach.
As Busanan tried to close the gap with some attacking shots, Sindhu responded well with some good returns. She even managed to return a near-impossible shot that was aimed at her body to eventually win the point and extend her lead. In the end, Busanan had run out of ideas as Sindhu went on to bag the first game.
The second game was a complete contrast with Sindhu enjoying complete dominance. HS Prannoy had to be content with a second-place finish after losing the men's singles final against World No 8 Jonatan Christie. Prannoy, lost 12-21, 18-21.