Pusarla Venkata Sindhu shines bright in Macau, lifts second Grand Prix title
PV Sindhu beat world No. 30 and seventh seed Li Michelle of Canada 21-15, 21-12 in the title clash.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: December 02, 2013 05:49 PM IST
India's rising shuttler PV Sindhu clinched the women's singles title at the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Tournament on Sunday. Sindhu, who is the top seed for the event, beat world No.30 Li Michelle of Canada 21-15, 21-12 in just 37 minutes in the title clash.
Sindhu, who was bestowed the Arjuna award earlier this year, was dominant from start to finish in a lop-sided encounter against the seventh-seeded Canadian.
"I was confident going into the final after I defeated the Chinese player and knew that if I did not make mistake I can win the title," Sindhu said.
Just two minutes into the contest, Sindhu raced to a 7-0 lead. The 18-year-old was relentless in her attack and never let her lead slip. It took just 16 minutes for Sindhu to pocket the first game 21-15.
Li battled back in the second game and the scores were level 5-5 at one stage. However, Sindhu eventually broke through and led 11-6 at the break, eventually claiming the title.
Sindhu walked away with USD 9,000 as prize money from the event which offered a total prize money of USD 120,000.
This year has been a remarkable one for the Hyderabad-based shuttler. Besides the Malaysia Open triumph in May, Sindhu also became India's first women's singles medallist at the World Championship in August, where she claimed bronze.
National coach Pullela Gopichand said they had pulled Sindhu out of the China Open to put in month long training and the plan worked very well.
"We worked extensively on speed and aggression while at the academy during the preparation for the tournament and she executed it well in Macau," he said.
Madhumita Bisht, who is accompanying the team, said "Sindhu was a bit nervous in the earlier rounds but the way she played in the semifinals and the finals, she thoroughly deserved the crown."