PV Sindhu defeats China's Wang Zhi Yi in thrilling final to clinch Singapore Open 2022 title

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu defeated China's Wang Zhi Yi in a thrilling final to clinch her maiden Singapore Open title on Sunday (July 17). It was an engrossing battle between the two finalists in the women's singles category before Sindhu came out on top against her Chinese opponent to bag her first Super 500 title of the year.

Sindhu made an exceptional start in the summit clash before Wang bounced back in the second game. However, Sindhu finished things off in style in the third game to win her third title in 2022. Sindhu defeated Wang 21-9, 11-21, 21-15 and was elated after the victory as she has traditionally struggled at BWF World Tour events.

World no.7 Sindhu had gotten the better of Japan's Saena Kawakami in the semi-final to be paired against Chinese Wang, who is one of the best young female shuttlers in the world at present and has witnessed a rapid rise in the circuit. While Sindhu was favourite, the Chinese was expected to test her in the summit clash.

Sindhu got off to a flyer in the opening game and raced to an 11-2 lead against the Chinese, wh made a couple of errors and struggled to control the shuttle. Sindhu closed the game 21-9 winning 13 straight points in the opener. Wang looked much more composed in the second game as she fought back.

She managed to gain a lead of 8 points against the Indian ace which worked wonders in lifting her spirits as she didn't let Sindhu close the gap at 5-12. Despite little resistance from Indian towards the end, Wang managed to win the second game 11-21 to force the final into a decider.

The two shuttlers gave their all in the final game as Wang didn't let Sindhu race away to a big lead at the start. However, the Indian ace was relentless and built a decent cushion for her at 11-6. Wang bounced back and made it 11-9 but Sindhu was on top of her game and never let the Chinse overhaul her lead to eventually win the third game 21-15 and clinch the elusive title.

The title triumph at Singapore Open will prove to be huge confidence booster for Sindhu ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2022 which gets underway later this month. Sindhu will be one of India's strongest medal contenders at the Games.