CHENNAI: Given the tall standards they have set over the years, shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen endured an arduous 2024. Missing out on a medal at the Olympics was a low point, both in contrasting styles. That's why their title-winning efforts in the just-concluded Syed Modi International tournament, a Super 300 BWF Tour event, were a welcome balm for both.
As the elite players around the globe gave the event a miss, they were handed the No 1 seedings. With hungry youngsters aspiring to emulate the senior players’ standards in the draw, and their patchy form through the course of the year, they still had to maintain their focus. And they did ace the test with relative ease.
In their respective finals, Sindhu beat Wu Luo Yu of China while Lakshya bossed his contest against Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore. Apart from Sindhu's second match, where she conceded a game to junior compatriot Ira Sharma, it was a fairly straightforward run for both the shuttlers.
Best of rest
Moreover, their dominance highlighted the levels that they are operating at as compared to other Indian single hopefuls still looking to establish their names at the highest level. There were as many as 17 Indians including the likes of Malvika Bansod, who was the No. 2 seed, Aaakarshi Kashyap, Anmol Kharb in the women's singles main draw of the tournament. Sindhu beat as many as three Indians. The former world champion got the better of Kharb in the opener before being stretched by Ira Sharma in Round 2. Ira managed to take a game off the double Olympic medallist.
Similarly, there were as many Indians in the men's singles main draw. Priyanshu Rajawat, and Kiran George were some of the notable Indians alongside Lakshya. Priyanshu bowed out in the semifinals while three other Indians, excluding Lakshya and Priyanshu, fell at the quarterfinal stage.
Lakshya was a step ahead of every opponent that he met and won all his games without having to expend all his gears. It's not a surprise that Lakshya's father, DK Sen, was a pleased man. "For four, five months, he had lost some close matches. Given that this is the final tournament of the year, it's really good. Lakshya played with a lot of assuredness and won the title in a convincing manner. This should definitely add to his motivation," he told this daily.
As is evident from the outcome of the event, young singles players from the country, despite getting a fair amount of exposure in recent times, are still a raw bunch. They still have a mountain to climb before they become regulars at the biggest events of the BWF circuit.
Lakshya, who had gone closest to challenging for an Olympic medal at the Paris Olympics, is the present and someone who clearly looks like the one who'll be fighting in marquee events in the days to come. That's not to state that the 23-year-old is a finished product. "After the Olympics, this was his fifth event. Performance-wise, he has been good but certain things haven't clicked sometimes. He had been commanding positions (Finland, Denmark) but missed out after that. In the semifinal and playoff also, he was not playing well but couldn't. It is part of the game," Sen noted.
Now, Lakshya will get a rare break for a few weeks or so. But he'll mostly be using this free time to recharge his batteries ahead of the new season. "We'll get a little bit of time to work on fitness and his technique. There are many components involved in fitness, be it agility, speed endurance. He'll be working on strength and endurance," Sen said.
As for Sindhu, this outcome is equally important. She has gradually slipped down the rankings and has been no match for some of the big hitters in the sport at the moment. Given her determination that has made her synonymous to sport in the country, the 29-year-old will be hoping to course correct and challenge for bigger medals next year.
Results (all final)
Women's singles: PV Sindhu bt Wu Luo Yu (CHN) 21-14, 21-16.
Men's singles: Lakshya Sen bt Jia Heng Jason Teh (SGP) 21-6, 21-7
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand bt Bao Li Jing/Li Qian (CHN) 21-18, 21-11.