Sindhu beats Marin to lift India Open badminton title

PV Sindhu with a gold medal after winning the India Open Super Series title on Sunday. (AFP)

NEW DELHI: India’s PV Sindhu defeated top seed Carolina Marin of Spain in straight games to win the final match of the India Open badminton tournament in New Delhi on Sunday.
Third seed Sindhu beat the Spaniard 21-19, 21-16 in a match that lasted 46 minutes at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
The 21-year-old Olympic silver medalist took an early lead in the match and continued to dominate the game throughout in front of a cheering home crowd.
Sindhu took a crucial 5-1 lead in the first game but a fight back by Marin left the score 11-9 at the mid break.
Marin came back strongly after the change of ends to take a one-point lead 18-17 before Sindhu rallied to seal the game at 21-19.
The lanky Indian raced to a 4-0 lead in the second game and maintained a five-point lead at 15-10. She locked the game at 21-16 to lift the title.
The maiden title win helped the Indian shuttler narrow down her head-to-head record against the Olympian Spaniard to 4-5.
Sindhu had last defeated Marin in the BWF Super Series in Dubai last year.
She won her semifinal clash against second-seeded Sung Ji Hyun of South Korea on Saturday.
In the men’s singles final, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark clinched the title, beating Chinese Taipei’s Tien Chen Chou in straight games.
Third seed Axelsen took just 36 minutes to edge past Chou 21-13, 21-10 and claim his maiden India Open title at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.