B Sai Praneeth made a come from behind victory to win his maiden Super Series title defeating compatriot Kidambi Srikanth in the final of the Singapore Open Super Series on Sunday.
Praneeth prevailed 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 in a 54-minute contest.
For the first time in the history of badminton, two Indians clashed in a Super Series final and Praneeth made the most of it in his maiden Super Series final appearance.
"It's always difficult to play someone with whom you play everyday. I am very happy to win today. The way I played in the tournament, I'm very happy. The support here for the Indians has also been very nice," an overwhelmed Praneeth said after the 54-minute clash.
Before the final between Praneeth and Srikanth, only three nations -- China, Indonesia andcDenmark -- had two of their shuttlers playing in finals of a Super Series event.
Kidambi, who entered the final as favourite, dominated the first game and won 21-17.
Trailing 1-7 at one point of time, Praneet made a solid comeback in the second game and made it 11-10 at the break.
With three back-to-back points from the base line, the Indian shuttler won the second game 21-17 to take match into a decider.
In the decider, Kidami looked in a sublime touch as he won the first two points. But, Praneeth had some other plans.
Praneeth carried the momentum and surged to a 7-3 lead which he consolidated to 11-5 at the break. It was another towering smash on Srikanth's backhand which gave him the lead.
In the end, a drop shot gave Praneeth a 19-12 lead and Srikanth handed him the match point when he hit wide. Praneeth made it count to seal his first Super Series title when his compatriot again hit wide.
Ever since bursting onto the scene by winning the bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 2010, Praneeth has managed to outwit some accomplished shuttlers such as former All England Champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia, former Olympic and World champion Taufik Hidayat and World No.1 Lee Chong Wei.
But a win eluded him as he battled with a series of injuries to make early exits. However, things brightened up last year when he won in Canada.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
