PV Sindhu wins her 2nd Syed Modi title

Lucknow: India's two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu won her second Syed Modi International badminton title here on Sunday, beating India's Malvika Bansod in straight games, PTI reports.

For world no seven ranked Sindhu, the game seemed a piece of cake as the scores stood at 21-13 and 21-16, and the final only lasted 35 minutes as Malvika, ranked 84th, didn't pose enough challenge to the Hyderabadi shuttler. Experienced Sindhu was too much for young Bansod, and the match turned out to be one-sided as it was expected.

Sindhu launched high into the first game and built a 7-0 lead. She used her height and reach to raise a 10 point lead before the break. When Bansod tried a comeback after the break, collecting a few points, she couldn't sustain her gain, and Sindhu sealed the game.

The second game was comparatively a better fight, but Bansod fell before Sindhu's mixed shots with smashes and drops. The point rested 11-4 before the break. Just like the last set, Bansod tried a comeback after the break but failed, and Sindhu took the title.

In another game, seventh-seeded Indians Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto won the mixed double title against Indian pair T Hema Nagendra Babu and Srivedya Gurazada with 21-16 21-12.

Earlier, the men's singles final between Arnaud Merkle and Lucas Claerbout got declared a 'No Match' after one of the players tested Covid-19 positive.

World Badminton Federation annexed the Syed Modi badminton tournament in 2017, and PV Sindhu had won the title that year.